Just A Mudblood
by WritingAnonymously
Summary: Hermione Granger lives a very hectic life, but is content. She works for the ministry and everything is going well. Harry and Ron are still her best friends, but what happens when an old enemy finds his way back into her life?
1. Chapter 1

It was a very cold, dreary day at the Ministry of Magic. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was crowded and hectic, wizards and witches running about and trying to get papers finished and deadlines met. Hermione Granger had twice the amount of normal work as usual because she'd been backed up with dark wizard cases for a month. She worked as much as she could, but the enormous workload was too much, even for a witch as efficient and diligent as Hermione. Hermione dipped her quill in a jar of ink and poised her hand to start writing. She winced when she moved her fingers, as they'd been cramping up for the past hour she'd been at it. She sighed and sat down her quill, her hand still aching from the copious amount of writing she'd done. Hermione had been in her office for 10 straight hours, only stopping for meal and bathroom breaks. Her day was only getting progressively worse as the headache she'd obtained grew larger and larger. Hermione didn't much mind the rain, she just hated the annoying sound it made as it pelted at the window panes like little bullets.

"All right, Hermione?" A familiar voice came from her open office door.

Her eyes darted toward the door and met another pair. There stood Harry Potter, glasses broken, hair a mess, and dirty robes, all completely contradicted by a large, satisfied grin. Hermione felt herself smile as she shook her head at one of her best friends.

"Harry, what happened?" she asked as she performed a non-verbal repairing spell on his damaged glasses. The cracks completely vanished within a millisecond.

Harry's smile got wider.

"We caught Aerope." He stated with satisfaction.

Hermione smiled and chuckled.

"Did he put up much of a fight?"

"He wasn't much of a match for us, we had him captured within a minute. He tried to cast a Cruciatious curse on Ron, but he missed and ended up cursing himself. His wand was snapped in half when he fell on it."

Hermione repressed a giggle. Aerope was a dangerous, but scatterbrained wizard. He'd been in a ton of trouble for putting children under the imperious curse and casting hexes on unsuspecting muggles. He hadn't killed anyone, but he gave Ministry a fair bit of grief when mystery attacks began to circulate through muggle news.

"Well, I'm just glad you two are safe," She smiled. "Where is Ron, by the way?"

"He went home for lunch. He asked me if we wanted to join him, so I came in here to ask you."

Hermione nodded.

"Just let me finish this last paragraph, and I should be finished up for the morning."

She sat back down at her desk to reluctantly finish her report.


	2. Chapter 2

The clouds began to part when Hermione, Ron, and Harry arrived at the burrow. The sun's rays began to cut through, making everything brighter and prettier. A rainbow had formed and stood out against the slightly still grey sky. Hermione reveled in the sudden change, soaking up all the sun she could before it could rain again. The threesome walked to the door side by side, discussing the capture of Aerope animatedly. Ron seemed the most excited about it, and beamed when Hermione praised him for avoiding the Crutiatious curse.

"I was an INCH away from death, Hermione." Ron said with a somber look on his face.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Ron, it was about six feet away from you, and he's a terrible aim."

Ron went slightly pink, but continued his detailed and exaggerated description of what happened.

"After he fought us for about five minutes straight with all kinds of curses, we finally got him under control." Ron finished.

Hermione laughed.

"So you're telling me that it REALLY happened like that?"

Ron held up his right hand.

"I swear on my life."

Harry punched Ron in the arm playfully.

"You know you're just saying that so you'll seem like a hero."

Ron grinned and reached for the doorknob. Before he could open it, he was almost knocked out by it. Mrs. Weasley stood there wearing an upset expression with her arms folded across her chest stiffly.

"And where have you been for the past week, Ronald Weasley?" She inquired.

"Oh, er – Things got a little crazy. Work's been murder, mum." He managed to choke out.

"I've been worried sick about you! I thought I'd have to send someone to make sure you were still alive!"

"Mum, calm down. I'm here now. How have things been?"

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and said, "Fine." She then turned to Harry with a softer expression.

"So I hear you've caught Aerope? Congratulations, dear. Aurther and I have been worried, if he'd imperiused children, there's no telling what he'd do next."

She pulled Harry into a tight hug, then turned to Hermione.

"Why, Hermione, you look positively tired!" She said, her voice filling with concern.

"Have you been getting enough sleep? Enough to eat?"

Hermione felt a rush of warmth spread through her. Even if Mrs. Weasley's concerns were a little unreasonable, it was still nice to have someone care.

"I've been doing fine, Mrs. Weasley. Just a fair bit of work, is all. I'm sure I'll be fine after a nice mean."

Mrs. Weasley beamed at her, then moved out of the way so the three could enter.

"Lunch is on the table, Ginny came by, too." She said.


	3. Chapter 3

"Lunch is on the table, Ginny came by, too." She said.

Hermione followed Ron and Harry into the kitchen, inhaling the wonderful aroma of tomato soup. She pulled up a chair and helped herself to a butterbeer.

"Hey, how are you?" Ginny asked, her mouth full of steaming soup.

Harry took a seat next to her and kissed her on the cheek when she put down her spoon.

"Great. We just caught one of the most dangerous wizards of the year!" Ron said, his excited mood from earlier re-surfacing.

Hermione listened to Ron's story get more exaggerated by the minute. He went from taking five minutes to capture Aerope to an hour long duel, throwing in gruesome details of terrible curses and injuries. Ginny concentrated on her soup and nodded every so often. While Ron was ranting on, Hermione took the time to talk to Harry.

"So, do you have any new leads coming in?" She asked, her headache growing when she thought of all the paperwork that would bring in.

"Well, we do have a tip, but we don't have enough to act on it yet." He swallowed a mouthful of soup and continued.

"There may be a witch who is selling enchanted mugs to muggles. Any time you try to put a drink in it, disappears as soon as it hits the bottom."

Hermione sighed.

"Well, it least it doesn't back up our department. Let Misuse of Muggle Artifacts have THAT one."

Harry smiled.

"I just feel bad for Mr. Weasley. He gets the worst of it."

Ron jumped into the conversation.

"Yeah, I talked to Dad this morning. He's been getting a lot of busy work. It's starting to take its toll on him."

"The Ministry has been so backed up on paperwork recently that it'll be nice for us to have a break." Hermione said with a hint of anger lacing into her tone.

"You shouldn't spend so much time on work, Hermione. You look really tired, and you could use a break."

"Well, if I don't do the paperwork, who will? I'd much rather be out there with you two. I never see any of the action."

Harry shrugged.

"It's not that much of a thrill, anymore. Ever since Voldemort died, there haven't been many dark wizards at large. Most of the death eaters either died or got chucked into Azkaban."

Ron nodded.

"Really now, Ron? Seems as if you had to fight for your life, today." Ginny cut in sarcastically.

Ron went pink and concentrated on his soup. After half an hour or so, Harry glanced at his watch.

"We should probably be getting back, now. They need us to file our reports on the capture."

Hermione nodded, not looking forward to the huge stack of papers she had to finish on her desk. The three stood up, said goodbye to Ginny, and disapparated.


	4. Chapter 4

When the three arrived at the Ministry, it was even more packed than usual. Harry and Ron said goodbye and went off to a briefing for the new lead. Hermione worriedly checked her watch and almost screamed when she saw she was late. She rushed down the hall to get back to her office. Her lunch break was over already, and she was supposed to have been back twenty minutes prior. In her hurry, she catapulted into a tall man walking the opposite direction. He let out a small groan in pain, as Hermione had knocked the wind out of him.

"Sorry," she apologized hastily. "I was in a hurry and – "

She stopped when she looked up and saw who it was. Staring back at her with a pair of cold, steel grey eyes was none other than Draco Malfoy, her Hogwarts tormentor. He looked just as shocked as she did, his white- blonde hair fluffed out from his spill. He immediately stood up, the surprised look draining from his face. His expression turned sour quickly.

"Watch where you're going, Granger." He said coldly.

"Watch where YOU'RE going, Malfoy." She said back, acidity leaking into her words.

Malfoy's face expression grew so hard, it resembled stone.

"I believe YOU are the one who knocked me over."

He then stalked in the other direction, cursing under his breath. Hermione watched his retreating figure as she felt her face grow hot and flustered. Her good mood had managed to disappear within a whole two minutes of being back at work. Leave it to Malfoy to ruin something as small as a good day for her. She felt anger flood through her as she raced to her office.

"Stupid pure-blood." She said as she threw herself into a chair.

When she glanced at the remaining stack of papers, she grew even angrier. She was mad about the fact that he could still get under her skin after all of the stuff she put up with. She flung her papers onto the desk so rapidly, she ripped an entire paper and gave herself a paper cut.

"Episkey." She muttered dejectedly as she pointed her wand at the small injury.

It healed completely, leaving a bit of blood behind.

"Tergeo."

The blood vanished just as the cut had.

Hermione grabbed a quill and worked until she couldn't feel her hands anymore. She just didn't want another thought of Draco Malfoy in her head.


	5. Chapter 5

The work day dragged on with the sluggish pace of a snail. Hermione's head was killing her, but she'd gotten most of her paperwork done for the day. It had began to rain again, pulling her bad mood to an even lower setting. She rubbed her temples with her fingers in small circles, trying to numb the pain she felt.

A short, rapping sound came from the outside of her office door. She guessed it was probably Ron or Harry.

"Come in." She said irritably.

She was surprised to see not Harry or Ron, but her boss.

"Granger, we have a new case for you." She said as she sat in a chair opposite Hermione.

"What is it?" Hermione asked with curiosity.

It'd been so long since she'd seen her boss, she was beginning to think she was dead. Her boss was Kendrina Harwick, and she was in charge of all the cases that came in their department. Usually when she came around, it was pretty big news, so Hermione stayed hopeful.

"We have reason to believe that several death eaters have evaded capture from the battle  
>five years ago. Though … you-know-who is dead and most of them were rounded up, we have reason to believe that a fair few were never caught. We are merely acting on tips at this point, but we can't let this case go if it turns out to be serious."<p>

Kendrina looked uncomfortable at the mention of Voldemort. Witches and wizards were still afraid to say his name, even if there was nothing but a haunting memory left of him.  
>Hermione nodded. She was beginning to feel an odd panic. She thought that every single one of Voldemort's death eaters were captured, but you could hardly trust anyone, anymore.<p>

"But if Voldemort – sorry," Hermione said sheepishly as she watched Kendrina wince over dramatically.

"If he-who-must-not-be-named had more, how did we not find this out sooner?"

"Miss Granger, when it comes to dark wizards, we cannot rule anything out. They're slicker than dragon blood; some of them have been avoiding escape even when he was alive.  
>They're very tricky, and we cannot be too careful."<p>

With that, Kendrina stood up, adjusted her skirt, and started towards the door. She hesitated when she reached it.

"I'm not sure you'll be able to work with Mr. Weasley or Mr. Potter on this one… we've brought in a new team. They need both of your friends elsewhere. Be here Tuesday morning for the briefing at exactly seven o'clock."

She then left, leaving a confused and tired Hermione to worry over this new information.

Ron came bolting in the door not two minutes after Kendrina left.

"Did you hear?" he nearly yelled at her, gasping for breath.

"Yes, I heard. It's so frightening." Hermione shuddered.

Ron walked towards her and awkwardly extended his arms. He pulled her into a hug and said, "It'll be fine, don't worry."

Hermione pulled away and looked at Ron's perplexed and ecstatic face.

"You're…you're not excited about this, are you?" she inquired in an accusing tone.

Ron looked as if he were trying to repress a grin.

"Oh, Ronald! Honestly, this is scary!"

"Hermione, Harry and I have been waiting for a job like this. It's so exciting! We might actually capture something dangerous!"

"You're such a boy." She muttered.

Harry walked into the room with the same happy look on his face as Ron.

"Hermione, don't be such a downer. It'll be fine. It's probably only a couple of idiots who still think they stand a fighting chance with their leader gone. It'll be easy. A couple of stunning spells, and we'll have got them."

Harry's words didn't placate Hermione at all, but she felt the corners of her mouth pull up into a tired smile.

"You're always so sure. You can't underestimate anything, Harry."

Ron scoffed.

"I'm just saying that not everything is as easy as it may seem." Hermione said a bit more angrily.

"This isn't that big of a deal, Hermione. It may not even be a real thing. It's just a lead. We can't be sure of anything yet." Harry said soothingly.

He pulled Hermione's hand in his and squeezed it briefly.

"What, lost faith in us, have you?" Ron said with a grin on his face.

"I know you're perfectly capable. I have all the faith in the world." She said, not entirely convinced by her own words.

"Hermione, trust me, the last thing you need is more worry on your plate. I'm sure your hand is about to fall off, as it is." Ron said, gesturing to the nearly finished paper stack.

"Yeah, come to the burrow for dinner, and then go home and get some rest. You need it more than we do." Harry held out his hand to help her up.

Hermione took it and stood, realizing how much sleep she needed when she felt everything spin.

"To the burrow." She said in a sleepy, but cheerful voice.

**Report****Quote**


	6. Chapter 6

On Tuesday morning, Hermione woke up with an apprehensive feeling of what she was in for. It was 5:30 in the morning, and she didn't have to be at the Ministry until 7:00. She dressed with a nauseous feeling in her stomach. She wasn't sick, just extremely worried. She hoped that the lead turned out to be nothing. She'd much rather spend her day writing until her hand protested in pain than see one of her friends die.

It was another drizzly morning, but the sun peeked slightly behind dark grey clouds. She hoped it would come completely out by the afternoon. She made herself a cup of tea as she waited until she had to leave. She could feel the sleepiness catching up with her, but she could hardly get any at all. She was far too busy thinking about things that could go wrong. She disapparated from her small flat at 6:45, deciding it gave her enough time to make it to the briefing room.

When she got to the Ministry, she couldn't see Harry or Ron anywhere. They were probably going to be late… again. She walked with haste, not noticing when she bumped into an innocent bystander on her way. She reached the door and hesitated before opening it, trying  
>to mentally prepare herself. But who was she kidding? She'd never be truly prepared.<p>

The handle turned before she could open it, and she was standing face to face with Kendrina.

"Ah, Granger. Prompt as usual, good. Not everyone is here yet, so I'm afraid we can't start."  
>She gestured toward a comfortable looking sitting area with a sofa and two arm chairs. Three witches sat on the sofa, speaking in hushed voices to one another. Hermione took one of the unoccupied arm chairs and fidgeted.<p>

"Hermione!" she heard Ron say from the door.

She looked up, and both Harry and Ron were standing there, looking disheveled and rushed.

"Got off to a bit of a late start," Harry said. "My alarm clock didn't quite cooperate this morning."

He took the chair next to Hermione and straightened up his loose tie.

"Bloody H*ll, do you think this is everyone?" Ron wondered aloud.

"No, Kendrina said that not everyone was here yet. Good thing you two weren't the last ones to show."

"Lucky for us." Ron said with a sleepy yawn.

Kendrina came back into the room, followed by two more wizards Hermione didn't know.

"We did have another wizard joining us, but it appears as if he'll be running a bit late. We're going to start now, if everyone is ready."

The witches sitting on the sofa produced notepads and quills. Hermione followed their example.

"We have reason to believe that several of – You-Know-Who's death eaters are still out there, having avoided capture from Azkaban. We got the tip from an ex-death eater, but we are not positive that this is a completely true tip. We plan to investigate it further, but we felt that -"

Kendrina stopped when the door handle jiggled. The wizard on the other side probably noticed that it was locked, because everyone heard a muffled, "Alohomora" come from the other side. The door flew open and in walked a tall wizard with white blonde hair. Hermione gasped, and she heard Harry curse under his breath. Ron was speechless. It was all because that one wizard had to walk through the door. That wizard was Draco Malfoy.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione was stunned. She couldn't speak. Malfoy's cold eyes met hers, and he glared without breaking the gaze. Kendrina's mouth hardened into a thin line.

"Tardiness will not be tolerated, Mr. Malfoy. We're here to work on something important – you need to be here."

"Sorry, I was busy with paperwork and lost track of time." He said harshly, still staring at Hermione.

She squirmed beneath his glare and looked away.

"Everyone, this is Mr. Draco Malfoy, he's a part of the case. He was the wizard who talked to  
>the ex- death eater."<p>

"Yeah, because he WAS one." Harry said under his breath.

"IS there a problem, Mr. Potter?" Kendrina asked, turning her stare to him.

Harry coughed to cover it up and said, "No ma'am."

"Good. I hope we're all on the same page here. We must work together, and I'll not tolerate any petty comments or rudeness. We're all adults here."

Kendrina beckoned for Malfoy to sit down in a folding chair next to the door.

"Had you have been on TIME, you wouldn't have had to resort to sitting in an uncomfortable chair."

Malfoy's expression never once faltered. It remained in a cold, permanent grimace.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted, our investigations would need to be expanded and more thorough if we want to get to the bottom of this. You're all going to be working very closely for the next month at least. We must be civil, as I said before. You must all be here ON TIME," She shot a glare at Malfoy. "And you have to pay very close attention."  
>For the rest of the briefing, Hermione concentrated on her notes. She wrote down nearly everything Kendrina said, not because she wanted to, but because she didn't want to look up and see Malfoy staring at her. Ron's fists were clenched and shaking, and Harry hadn't smiled or said anything the entire meeting. Old school habits never die, Hermione supposed.<br>When the briefing was over, Hermione timidly approached Kendrina.

"Excuse me, Kendrina, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"All right there, Granger?" She seemed concerned from the look on Hermione's face.

"I was wondering if it was at all possible to transfer teams."

"I don't understand, Granger. Why do you want to switch?"

"Well, there are er- a few … differences I have between some of my colleagues, and it'd be best for everyone if I wasn't around. I could handle more paperwork, if you wanted."

"Granger, you've been asking for the past year if I could get you on an actual case, and here you are complaining about it when I give the opportunity."

Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Look, if I didn't think you were up to the task, I wouldn't have chosen you. I chose you because you're smart, and you know how to get the job done. You're just going to have to set whatever it is aside and buck up. No one is getting transferred or quitting. Granger, I like you, but you need to stay on this. It's more important than some silly grudge you hold."

"I'm sorry to have asked." Hermione said dully."I sincerely appreciate the opportunity, though."

Kendrina simply nodded, then went back to talking to one of the witches on the sofa.

Hermione exited the room to meet up with Ron and Harry, a miserable sensation filling her body.

"Malfoy for the love of MERLIN!" Harry screamed just as Hermione came up to them.

"Of ALL people, HIM!" Ron said through clenched teeth.

"He WAS A death eater! He could be a part of all of this! How can she TRUST HIM?" Harry was furious.

"I can't be transferred… I can't believe I'm going to have to work with him. He's going to torture me the whole way through." Hermione said sadly.

"I swear, if he says a THING about you being muggle-born, I'll KILL him." Ron promised.

"Well, if it isn't famous Harry Potter." Drawled a deep, cold voice.

The three turned to stand face to face with Malfoy.

"Go away, Malfoy. I don't think our conversation was an open one." Harry managed angrily.

"Got a problem, Potter? Tut tut, didn't think you'd still be this … juvenile."

"So you gave the tip, did you Malfoy? Why the change in heart? Did the death eaters finally  
>figure out you were useless and toss you away like rubbish?"<p>

Malfoy's sneer got bigger, and his eyes narrowed.

"I'd watch my mouth, Potter. You ought to be careful about how you talk to people that could cost you your job."

"Go to H*ll, Malfoy" Ron spat.

"Ah, come to Potter's rescue? Can't fight his own battles, can he? I don't think anyone was talking to you, Weasley."

"Funny, Malfoy, because I don't exactly remember anyone giving you an invitation to talk to US."

Everyone turned to look at Hermione, shocked that she would even say anything. Malfoy looked amused.

"No one cares about your opinion, you're just a mudblood who got lucky with this case. Can't imagine how you managed to get this one, Granger."

Ron lunged at Malfoy, but Harry caught him before he could do anything.

"He isn't worth it, he'll probably just run back to his boss and tell on you. Seems sucking up is all he's good at, anyways. How else do you think he got this?" Harry said.

"Piss off." Malfoy sneered. He turned on his heel and strode the opposite direction without so much as a glance back at them.

"Wow Hermione, didn't think you had it in you." Harry's tone was approving.

"Let's just go. It's bad enough that this is dangerous, but it only makes it worse that Malfoy is a part of it." Her voice was shaking in a mixture of rage and misery.

"I know one thing, if he says anything else to us, I'm going to lose my job for attacking him." Ron growled.

"Just a month, Ron." Harry said, sounding angry himself.

"Come on, let's just go."


	8. Chapter 8

The rest of Hermione's day was chaos – just as she'd predicted. She knew that she wouldn't be able to put up with Malfoy, and Ron or Harry – or both of them – would end up either maiming Malfoy or losing their jobs. The ONE time she got an opportunity, something had to go wrong to mess it up. By the time she got home, she was nearly sick from all of the stress.  
>She hung her robes up by the front door and fell into the armchair by her television.<p>

Every single one of Hermione's thoughts were tainted with Malfoy. She didn't know how she would go through with this. It was so bad to the point of her contemplating on quitting her job. She loved her job more than anything, and she wasn't going to let some ignorant, cold-hearted pure-blood ruin that for her.

It was still early, so she thought she'd visit the burrow for dinner. She got her cloak, cooked a few pies with her wand, and disapparated.

Though it was nearing six o' clock, it was still daylight outside. Hermione walked carefully up to the front door of the burrow. She feared that with her headache and dizziness she would fall. She knocked twice and waited for someone to answer.

"Hermione!" Ginny said excitedly as she pulled open the door and hugged Hermione tightly.

"All right there, Ginny? Where are Harry and Ron at?"

"They're at the table. They told us the er – exciting news." Ginny looked sympathetic.

"Yes, Ron and Harry aren't exactly pleased with our situation. But, what's done is done, and we'll have to deal with it like grown-ups, I guess." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Well, if anyone can do it, YOU can." Ginny smirked.

Hermione laughed warmly.

"Ginny, you have too much faith in me."

Hermione stepped inside and was immediately welcomed by the aromatic smells of Mrs. Weasley's amazing cooking. Even though Hermione cooked the same way, Mrs. Weasley seemed to make everything better, somehow.

"Hermione! How are you, dear?" Mrs. Weasley pulled her into a choking hug.

"Same as usual, Molly." She offered the pies.

"Oh, you're too kind." Mrs. Weasley smiled at her with twinkling eyes. "Ron and Harry are in the living room, if you'd like to join them."

Hermione nodded and walked towards the small sitting area. Harry and Ron were in deep conversation, oblivious to their surroundings. Hermione cleared her throat.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry looked up at her with a surprised expression.

"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you two." She sat down next to Ron.

"I hope he gives me a reason…" Ron muttered angrily.

"Ron, you can't be looking for fights, it's only going to make things worse on everyone."

"He called you a mudblood!" He nearly shouted.

"And? That comes as a shock to you? Honestly Ron, he could have said a lot worse. We're going to have to get used to this. We have to work with him for a month."

"Maybe longer than that." Harry said stoically.

"The point is, we can't let simple things get to us. Besides, we're going to have a team of other people than Malfoy. I'm pretty sure we won't be stuck listening to his snide remarks alone."

That brought some comfort to Hermione. At least she wasn't alone. They were all silent for a few minutes. Ron was seething and muttering to himself.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, breaking their silence.

Two fresh, steaming chickens adorned a decorated table in the dining room. Glasses of Butterbeer and Firewhiskey were being poured in midair. Next to Hermione's pie were an assortment of desserts that shamed it. It was a gorgeous meal. Hermione took a Firewhiskey and sat down. Ron and Harry followed suit. After the day they had, it was a necessity.

"Special occasion, Molly?" Harry asked casually while looking at the fancy spread.

Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry.

"Yes, it is, actually. We're going to announce what it is when everyone is here."

"Who else is coming?" Ron asked with a mouthful of Firewhiskey.

"Ron, don't talk with your mouth full," his mother chided. "but Hagrid, Teddy, and Mcgonnogall."

Ron nearly spit out his Firewhiskey.

"MCGONNOGALL'S coming?"

Mrs. Weasley eyed him strangely.

"Yes, why is that such a big deal?"

Ron's face turned red.

"I just er-, thought…"

"That she never left the castle?" Hermione prompted.

"Yeah." Ron said.

Hermione laughed. "She DOES have a life, you know. It doesn't just revolve around students."

Ginny walked into the room wearing a pretty dress. She sat down next to Harry and pecked him on the cheek. Harry smiled at her and took her hand in his. Ron coughed loudly.

"Ronald, they've been dating for five years, you can calm down now." Hermione said loudly.

Ginny laughed and said, "It's ok, Hermione, my brother controls my dating for me."

Ron shot Ginny a glare and drained his glass of Firewhiskey.

"Miss Granger, It's been a while." Hermione looked up to see none other than Professor  
>McGonnogall.<p>

"Professor!" she screeched and rushed to get up and hug her.

McGonnogall smiled and looked at Hermione through her glasses.

"I've missed you. Not one child at that wretched school knows half the amount of things you knew in your first year. I miss seeing your hand fly up, Miss. Granger."

Hermione blushed and sat back down at the table.

"Keeping our noses clean, Potter? Weasley?"

Ron and Harry grinned and hugged Mcgonnogall, as well.

A racket came from the front door. It sounded a lot like the door was being broken.

"That'll be Hagrid." Mrs. Weasley said with a bored expression. She was used to things being broken.

A large crash echoed throughout the burrow, and moments later Hagrid came bursting into the kitchen.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" He pulled all three of them into a large hug.

"Why have yer not bin ter see me?" He asked, his large beetle-black eyes shining happily.

"Been busy, Hagrid." Harry stated. "We have jobs now, remember?"

Hagrid smiled sadly. "My little misfits – all grown up."

Hermione giggled and helped herself to another Firewhiskey.

Dinner was a long event, but a fun one. After the desserts were served, Mrs. Weasley stood up.

"Ahem, " she said in a very Umbridge-like manor. "We have a very important announcement to make."

Everyone fell silent and gave Mrs. Weasley their full attention.

"We all know that Ginny has been looking for a job for quite some time, and well – she's been hired at the Ministry of Magic!"

Harry grinned broadly.

"You're an auror?" He exclaimed happily.

"Yes." Ginny blushed. "Mum, there really was no reason to go all out for th-"

"Don't be silly, dear. Of course it's a cause for celebration."

Everyone talked animatedly and gave congratulations for the next half hour. Hermione checked her watch and gasped. It was well past 9:00, and Ron, Harry and her had to be at the Ministry by 7:00.

"Thank you for the dinner, Molly, but I really must be going, early day, tomorrow."

She hugged everyone goodbye, then said, "Ginny, I'm really glad you're going to be working with us, soon. It'll be nice to have another person there to suffer with us." She smirked and went outside. She looked up at the sky and sighed. Even if something bad happened, at least the day wasn't totally ruined. She disapparated to her flat, went into her room, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9

Nightmares invaded Hermione's dreams. She was running along a stone path with levitating candles lighting her way. She kept looking behind her to make sure no one followed. The click-clacking of her feet offset the chirps of the cicadas as she sprinted further and further down the path. It meandered slightly about ten feet ahead, and she made a sharp turn. An odd snapping sound came from below her, and her ankle was pulling her downward into a heap on the ground. Hermione's breathing rate increased as her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She felt as if it might explode. She didn't know who or what she was running from, but  
>it left an unsettling feeling in her.<p>

"Grangerrrr, " a cold voice purred from a distance away.

Hermione snapped her head in the direction of the voice, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her ankle.

"Grangerrr, you're nothing but a filthy mudblood…no one would miiiiisss youuuuu." The voice came again.

From the shadows, a silhouette of a man was coming out. It emerged until Hermione could see the full figure. The statuesque being inched towards her like a lion stalking its prey. A harsh laugh erupted from him, and he walked forward until the shadows slowly drained from his face. Pale skin was revealed underneath the shining moonlight. Piercing grey eyes full of amusement and hatred stared back at her.

"You're nothing." The words dripped like leaking acid from his soft, pink lips. His eyes  
>betrayed and trace of happiness found in his smile.<p>

He raised his wand, and shouted, "Avada Ke-"

Hermione woke with sweat pouring down her face. Her frizzy hair matted against her head in a sickening, cool way. She gasped for breath as she panted. Her heart was beating rapidly, skipping beats in some points.

"J-just a d-dream." She said to herself.

She was trembling non-stop, and she felt her dizziness increase. She swooned for a moment, then her head hit the pillow with a soft thud. Her alarm clock numbers shone brightly, blaring the numbers: 3:46. Great. She was never going to get back to sleep now. Instead, she sat up and pulled her knees into her arms. She rested her chin on her knees and sighed.  
>Realization hit that she'd have to endure an entire day with that… jerk. There really wasn't a word rude enough to describe Malfoy. She winced as she heard the word, "mudblood" echoing inside her head. She couldn't believe that Malfoy got to her enough that she was having nightmares about him.<p>

She rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes tight, trying to block out all the mental pictures of his jeering face and evil eyes. It was no use. She stood up quickly from the bed, getting a head rush in the process. She found her footing and padded down the small hallway to the doll-sized kitchen of hers. She put a kettle of water on the stove top and said, "incendio" with her wand pointed at it. A small fire erupted and rapidly boiled the water in the kettle.

After the tea was made, she pointed her wand at the cupboard and said, "Wingardium Leviosa" at a mug on the top shelf. She couldn't quit thinking about her nightmare. The cup fell and shattered next to Hermione's feet. She scowled and threw her wand aside. Never mind using spells to clean up this mess; she'd only make it worse when she was this out of sorts.

Time ticked slowly until Hermione had to leave. She dressed very quickly, then decided she'd attempt to look nice that morning. She secured her curly hair in a side ponytail and applied a small bit of mascara to her eyelashes. Ginny bought her the makeup for Christmas, she'd just never got around to using. Truthfully, she didn't need it. Her natural beauty as overpowering, and when she used even a little bit of makeup, it made her stunning. She glanced apprehensively at her watch, seeing that it was 6:30. She grabbed her cloak from the coat hook and disapparated.

Hermione arrived only seconds after Ron and Harry got there. They walked over to greet her.

"Hermione, did you get any sleep?" Harry asked, concern filling his voice.

"Not at all." She smiled sleepily and yawned.

"You look nice." Ron offered, turning a bit pink.

"Thanks, Ron. I had a bit of time this morning, so I figured I would do something productive."

They stood awkwardly for a moment until Harry said, "We'd best be off. "

The three walked at a fast pace to the room Kendrina told them to report to the day before, not chatting like they usually did. Not one of them was looking forward to what awaited them, and silence was their way of preparing for the torturous time ahead.

"Well, you three are a bit early." Kendrina said as they arrived.

"Let's just hope Mr. Malfoy follows your example." She rolled her eyes and looked past them, waving hello to one of the witches that was there yesterday.

"Well, it's good that she's not giving him any special treatment." Hermione muttered.

"I guess you're right. I still don't like this." Ron groaned.

"Neither do we, Ron. You're going to have to try to our differences with him aside if you want to keep your job, because she isn't going to give us any special treatment, either." Harry  
>said with a twinge of annoyance.<p>

They all took their seats and waited as witches and wizards filed into the room. Malfoy was the last one in, not surprising anyone.

"We have more than we intended initially," Kendrina began.

"What we're going to do is have partner pairings, and you're going to work together. It's much harder with everyone working individually. I've got a list, and you're not going to complain with what you get. You're stuck with it." She threw a meaningful look at Hermione as if to say, "So don't try anything, Granger."

She read off a couple of names, then said, "Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley."

Harry and Ron high-fived each other and grinned. Hermione rolled her eyes. It was like they were at school again. She waited anxiously for Kendrina to call her name, and grew more nervous when Malfoy's wasn't called, either. Finally, with only four people left, she said, "Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy."


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione opened her mouth, but no words came out. It was like life was taking as much strength as it had and hitting her full force in the gut with it. Much to Hermione's surprise, Malfoy said nothing. He just looked at his shoes. Kendrina must have thought one of them would object, because she paused as she was calling names. When neither one said anything, she just continued on.

"And last, but not least, Dolorina Misteria and Frag Kaughstore." She rolled up the parchment and cleared her throat.

"Now that you all have your partners, you will be given separate jobs from everyone else, in order to accomplish more. Your partner will be like a sister or a brother that you can't get away from, so make an attempt to get along."

Hermione felt her insides constrict and she felt a sharp pain in her head. Hermione, of all  
>people, would be the one to get Malfoy. When she looked up again, there he was, standing next to her.<p>

"I don't like this anymore than you do, mudblood." He scoffed.

"This is beneath me."

Hermione glared.

"If it's such a problem, Draco, why don't you go crying to your beloved daddy about it?" came Harry's voice.

Malfoy looked past Hermione's shoulder and smirked.

"Always need Potter to fight your battles, then? Typical."

Harry smiled cruelly.

"Always need someone defenseless to bully, Malfoy? I was under the impression that you were twenty-two … not four."

Malfoy glowered at Harry, ferocity engraved into his eyes.

"Piss off, Potter. Weasley's probably looking for someone to explain to him why he's even  
>here. Stupid blood-traitor." He muttered.<p>

Harry just laughed coldly and looked away from him.

"Hermione, we'll all go to the burrow after this is over. If Malfoy says one more thing, don't hesitate to hex him. I'd offer help, but you're better at doing spells that cause permanent damage."

"Give me a reason, Potter, I swear." Malfoy growled.

Malfoy's hand was reaching inside his robes for a wand.

"Go ahead. I dare you. It'll be the last thing you do."

"Problem, Mr. Malfoy?" Kendrina was behind him, her suspicious eyes darting around until she saw where Malfoy's hand was.

"None whatsoever." He said coolly, taking his hand away and placing it at his side.

"Good. I just came by to give you and Miss Granger your assignment for tomorrow. You'll be patrolling by a residence we think Death Eaters are using to gather."

Hermione's heart missed a beat. If they had people staking a place out, the lead was definitely accurate. This was real.

"For now, I'll leave you two to fill out some forms for this."

With a flick of her wand, two clipboards with a large amount of papers appeared.

"This should leave you time to… bond." She said dubiously.

She turned on her heel and strode over to Ron. Harry threw another dirty look at Malfoy and said, "Better go. Ron and I need our assignments." He squeezed Hermione's hand and walked away.

"Bye." Hermione said after him miserably.

"Come on, Granger. I don't want to be stuck with you for the rest of the day trying to get this done."


	11. Chapter 11

Malfoy glanced at his clipboard and said, "We're going to have to go to a different room for this. I can't stand being around…people."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Hermione stated rudely.

Malfoy cursed under his breath.

"Granger, if you're not going to cooperate, you might as well just quit now. I can't have you holding me back." He glared at her.

"I'll cooperate if you stop acting like I'm not even human. I want respect, Malfoy."

"You aren't going to get any." He said plainly.

"Can't even believe I'm associating with…a mudblood." He shook his head and scoffed as if she were the most vile, repulsive thing that walked the face of the Earth.

Hermione turned red. She wasn't sure if it was from being angry or being sad, but Malfoy just irked her.

"Well, get a move on then. We don't have all day." He spat.

Hermione walked with her head held high out of the door and turned right.

"Granger." She heard him call.

She ignored him and continued on.

"Granger, where the *** are you going?"

She spun around.

"I thought it was YOU who wanted us to get a move on! Why aren't you coming?"

Malfoy looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Granger…it's the OTHER way."

"Oh." She managed with an embarrassed tone.

He turned around and walked the other direction with a fast pace, not allowing Hermione enough time to catch up with him. She nearly lost her way when he'd turned a corner too quickly for her to see where he was going. When she reached him, he shook his head in disbelief.

"Honestly Granger, how long have you worked here? You should know this place by now."

"Not ALL of us had wizard daddies to bring us to the Ministry, Malfoy. I'm sorry that my father wasn't my only friend."

Malfoy looked taken aback, not expecting her words to be so biting.

"Temper, temper, Granger..." he said much like a parent would scorn their child.

Malfoy would have been impressed had it not been a filthy mudblood he was conversing with. It was impressive for Granger, to say the least. He was surprised when he looked up to see  
>Granger's hand extended towards his.<p>

"I'm not saying we have to get along, Malfoy," Hermione began as she drew in a breath. "but we need to stop bickering or it's only going to make the situation a lot more painful than it has to be. I don't like you, you don't like me. I get it. We need to put that aside, or one of us is going to end up getting kicked off the case, and I swear to Merlin that it's NOT going to be me."

Malfoy looked at her for a second. She had a point. He hesitantly brought his hand towards hers, then grasped and shook it. He was surprised at how soft her skin was, like rose petals. He then scorned himself for even entertaining the thought. Granger was…well, Granger.  
>Nothing about her could be appealing to him.<p>

"Fine. But don't expect me to be any nicer. I'm just not going to make any remarks." He said.

"Good. We have a lot of papers to go through, so let's get started or we'll be here all night."

Hermione sat down at a desk and began filling out the sheets. Malfoy simply looked at his, dreading the thought of how his hand would feel after.

"I swear… this is the most mundane thing ever." He muttered, picking up a quill after a few moments.

"The sooner you start, the sooner you get it over with."

"Funny, I don't think I said anything to you, Granger."

"Oh, talking to yourself I see. Don't let me interrupt what I am sure was a nice chat." She rolled her eyes and continued to work.

The only sound that filled the room was the quills scratching quietly on the parchment. After an hour, Draco's ink bottle was empty. He still had a dozen or so papers to finish, but Hermione was just sitting quietly at her desk, all of her papers neatly filled out and clipped to the clipboard. He sighed and flexed his hand muscles.

"I could help you finish, if you want." Hermione offered, her tone hesitant.

"I don't' need your kind of help, Granger." He said sourly.

There was no way he was going to let Granger upstage him.

"Come on, Malfoy. I want to get out of here, you want to get out of here, just let me help.  
>We'll get it done faster and I won't have to put up with you anymore."<p>

Draco scowled, but shoved half of his papers at Hermione. Anything to get away from her.

"Listen, I want to apologize for anything I said to you today that offended you. I was just being… stubborn, I guess." Hermione said to break the silence.

Malfoy remained silent, twirling his quill in his fingers. Why was Granger apologizing to HIM?  
>He admitted that he'd said more horrible things to her than he could count. Besides a few weak, ableit affective come-backs, she hadn't hurt his feelings one bit. Then again, that was nearly impossible.<p>

"I just want this to go smoothly. This is the first opportunity I've gotten, and I don't want to mess it up. So will you forgive me?" She seemed to be begging, almost. This must have been pretty important to her.

"Whatever." He said nonchalantly.

They remained silent until the last paper was finished. Hermione handed him his stack and picked up her own.

"Er – Granger, you didn't have to - "

"You're welcome. I just didn't want to have to put up with you for more time than necessary."  
>She cut him off. She walked out of the room, leaving Malfoy looking after her.<p>

"Such a pain in the ***." He said when she was out of ear shot. It was going to be a long month.


	12. Chapter 12

Ron and Harry were arguing when Hermione met them at the burrow.

"NO! We CAN'T do that because NEITHER of us knows how!"Harry yelled

Ron's face was red. Whether it was with rage or embarrassment, Hermione couldn't tell.

"Just leave this to them. We won't be able to handle it."

"Handle what?" Hermione said curiously.

Harry looked over and jumped when he realized she'd appeared.

"Er-nothing. C'mon, let's go inside, lunch is ready."

There was no point in arguing with Harry. She'd just weasel it out of Ron later. As soon as she reached the kitchen, Ginny came tumbling after her, gripping her into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, Hermione!" She said.

"F-f-for what?" Hermione sputtered as she gasped for breath.

Ginny pulled away, a questioning look on her face.

"Er, Malfoy, remember?"

"Oh, right. Come on, I'll tell you about it."

She didn't want to talk about it in front of Harry or Ron. They hated him enough as it is. Ginny plopped down on the couch, her hair splashing against her cheek like flames were licking at her face.

"So, was it miserable?" she asked, folding her hands in her lap. She looked at Hermione with worry in her eyes.

Hermione sighed.

"It wasn't THAT bad. I can handle Malfoy, trust me. He just needs to be put in his place. He honestly thinks he's better than everyone else."

Ginny nodded and rolled her eyes.

"Did he call you a mudblood?"

"Yes, several times, actually. Reminds me of school." She chuckled a bit.

"Don't tell Harry this, but even being such a huge jerk to everyone, I used to think he was actually kind of handsome." Ginny admitted, red tinting her cheeks.

Hermione looked shocked. She'd never really thought of Malfoy in that way. He actually was very nice-looking if she thought about it. She shook the thought from her head in disgust.  
>Any physical attribute that was good was outweighed by the dreadful personality he had.<p>

"I suppose he is." She managed.

Ginny's expression turned sour.

"He's an ar*se, though."

Hermione nodded.

"So how are you, Ginny?" she asked politely.

Ginny frowned.

"Not good, now that you ask. Harry's been a bit…distant, lately."

"What do you mean?"

"He hasn't talked to me much today… now that I think about it, he hasn't really talked to anyone."

Hermione thought about it, then said,

"Maybe it's the whole Malfoy business? It's really taken a toll on all of us. He got into a bit of an argument with him today. I guess that's going to be expected, though."

Ginny's frown didn't falter, it only got bigger.

"You should talk to him about it if it upsets you that much. You guys can talk about this kind of thing, you've been dating for a long time."

"I guess you're right. I'll talk to him after the work day's over."

"OH! Ginny, that reminds me. I wanted to know if you'd like to share an office?"

Ginny smiled.

"Of course! I start on Monday, I think. I don't have a lot of stuff to bring in, but I can bring our enchanted teapot ." She giggled.

"The spell's wearing off, but I think we can fix it in no time."

Hermione grinned and patted Ginny on the back.

"Hermione!" Ron ran into the room.

"Ron!" Hermione shouted back at him.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. It wasn't anything I couldn't put up with. I am an adult, Ronald. A few words don't hurt." She smiled. "Thank you for your concern."

He came over to her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. It would have been a perfectly normal, non-awkward thing if he didn't blush after he pulled away.

"Well, see you in the kitchen. We're having sandwiches."

He left the room, and Ginny busted into a fit of hysterics. Hermione glared at her.

"Honestly, Hermione, my brother worships the ground you walk on." She said, wiping tears of laughter away from her eyes when her giggles subsided.

Hermione knew. She didn't feel for Ron the same way he felt for her. She'd much rather they just keep it at a friendship level.

"Hermione, at one point, you know he's going to ask you." Ginny said seriously.

"I know… come on, I don't want to think about it. Let's eat!"

They stood up and walked into the kitchen. Hermione grabbed two sandwiches and a cup of  
>pumpkin juice.<p>

"Hermione, everything went ok today, right?" Harry asked as she sat down.

Hermione sighed and said for the third time that day, "Yes, everything was fine. I'm a big  
>girl, now. I can handle a few rude comments."<p>

Harry simply nodded and returned to picking apart his sandwich. Ginny took a seat next to him and kissed the top of his head. He didn't notice, he just continued to absently stare at his plate. Hermione could see where Ginny was a little put off by his behavior.

"What did you two get for your assignment?" Hermione inquired.

"We got stuck with being in charge of the tip mail. When someone thinks they know something suspicious, they send it to us, and we check it. It's the most tedious thing ever.  
>Half of the senders are just jokers. " Ron said miserably.<p>

Hermione was thankful, but she'd never tell them that. At least they weren't somewhere they could get hurt.

"And you're doing the patrol?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, it's going to be boring, too."

"No, that sounds a lot less bloody boring than our job. At least you might get to see a LITTLE action." Ron grumbled.

"Ron, you and Harry always get to go hunt for dark wizards. I am the one who gets stuck with the paperwork. Trust me, I deserve to have a crack at it, for once."

"Yeah, Ron, shut it." Ginny tacked on.

Hermione threw a smile in her direction.

"Bloody boring…" Ron muttered.

The rest of their lunch was quiet. Harry didn't say much; he looked zoned out. Ginny had to go for a robe fitting at Madam Malkin's, so the three decided to leave to go back to the Ministry. They'd be a bit early, but with all of the extra hands for the case, there'd be a lot of people there. They disapparated, not looking forward the rest of the day.


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione walked into her office and found a stack of papers on her desk. She sighed and sat down. She gingerly picked up the stack and began leafing through what she needed to fill out. She groaned when she realized it was all of them. Sometimes there were a few blank pieces of parchment mistakenly snuck in, but no such luck. Her quill was broken at the nib, so she decided to make a trip to Harry's office to borrow one.

She exited her office and lumbered down the corridor lazily. She made sure to keep her pace slow so that she could put off the paperwork for as long as possible. Harry was just walking out of his office when Hermione walked up. He was squinting at a bit of parchment and frowning.

"Harry?"

He jumped, startled.

"Oh, Hermione. What is it?"

"I was just wondering if you had an extra quill, mine broke."

"Of course, hold on."

He disappeared into his office and left Hermione waiting outside. She looked around and saw several groups of witches and wizards huddling together. She figured they were a part of the  
>investigation. It just hit her on how big this was getting.<p>

A couple of minutes later, Harry emerged holding a handsome-looking quill.

"Are you sure you want me to borrow THIS?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harry laughed.

"Hermione, just take the quill and get back to work."

He winked and went back into his office. Hermione shook her head fondly and began to turn around.

"Oomf!" a muffled voice said.

"Sorry! So clumsy of m-"

"Making a habit of trying to mow people over, Granger?"

Malfoy stared back at her with his penetrating grey eyes. She huffed and walked past him.

"Granger, I want a word. I was actually just at your office, but you weren't in there."

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"My Granger, seems as if you've grown a backbone after all these years. Congratulations."  
>He smirked.<p>

"Malfoy; the point. Get to it, or I'm not going to stick around and listen to your nonsense."

She folded her arms across her chest and shot him a very Mcgonnogall-worthy look.

Hermione was in no mood to put up with him. Surprise set into his handsome features, and he looked impressed.

"Very well. I've just received word that we need to stay late – Kendrina has something to tell us. I told her that I was perfectly competent enough to trust, but for some reason, she didn't believe me."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Ok, Malfoy. Is that all?"

"That's all. Where are you going, anyways?" he asked with an honestly curious look on his face. "Why were you by Potter's office? Sneaking off for a little office romance now, are we?"  
>His expression was taunting.<p>

"Not that it's any of your business, but I was here to borrow a quill. Mine broke from the boatloads of paperwork I did last night, and I needed a new one to complete the same  
>amount of paperwork today. So, if you don't mind, I'll be going." She threw him a dirty look,<br>and began to walk.

"Granger!"

"What?" He was dancing on her last nerve.

"Do you- Never mind." He turned around.

"No, what is it?"

"Do you mind if I do some of it? Might as well, I've got nothing to do until Kendrina talks with us. And you helped me earlier, so I'm just returning a favor. Paying my debt – nothing more.  
>I wouldn't have offered had you not helped me earlier."<p>

Hermione raised an eyebrow. Malfoy offering help? It was a little suspicious.

"You want to help me?"

Malfoy sneered, seeming offended by the very idea of helping Hermione.

"I'm not helping – I'm paying a debt."

"O-o-okay…" Hermione stuttered.

"What exactly are YOU doing here, Draco?" a voice said distantly.

Malfoy shifted his gaze in the direction it was coming from. Harry walked out of his office wearing a very menacing look.

"I was having a conversation, Potter. Didn't think that was a crime."

"What, get bored and decide to make another person's life miserable?"

"Watch your tongue, Potter. Wouldn't want you to get kicked off this case now, would we?"

"Going to run and tattle-tell, are we Draco? Funny – I thought you might have grown up a little."

Malfoy pushed past Hermione and raised his wand.

"Oh, big man." Harry said, stepping forward as well.

"Honestly, put those things away, you idiots!" Hermione scorned in a loud whisper.

Neither man looked at her, but fixed their eyes on their target.

"Come on, Malfoy. Scared?" Harry taunted.

Hermione needed to do something drastic. She pulled out her own wand, and performed a non-verbal "expelliarmus" to Harry. His wand flew out of his hand.

"What the he|l?" He said angrily.

"Harry – not worth it." Hermione insisted through gritted teeth. No way he was going to get  
>fired over a silly fight.<p>

Malfoy smirked.

"Well, well, well. Looks as if the roles have reversed. Granger's fighting your battles now, is she? You've sunken, Potter. Weaker than I thought."

"Shut the hel| up, Malfoy." Harry muttered.

"Who's making me?" Malfoy said in an amused voice.

Hermione glared at him.

"Are you going to help me with that paperwork, or are you going to wave your wand around like a foolish two–year- old?"

Harry was seething next to Hermione. She firmly held his arm in place so he wouldn't try anything. Harry pulled his arm angrily from hers and said, "One day, Malfoy. One day."

He walked into his office and slammed the door behind him.

"What the he|l was that?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy didn't respond. He just gestured for her to move along.

"I don't know how to get to your office, Granger. If you expect me to help, I'd get to walking."

"Don't order me around, Malfoy." Her actions betraying her words.

She led him to her office and opened the door.

"Merlin's beard! How much work do they give you every day?" Malfoy said when he saw the paperwork on her desk.

"That? That's nothing. You should've seen the load before we caught Aerope." She cleared off  
>a spot next to her desk for him to sit.<p>

"God, Granger. I don't envy you."

"Someone has to do it." She muttered.

"Is this ALL you do?" He said mockingly.

She gave a stony glare.

"Is this ALL I do?" she demanded?

"No, I meant, do you not get to go out and actually round up the criminals?" He asked with honest curiousity.

"Well, no. This is the first case I've worked on where I actually get to be out there." She said sadly.

She snapped her head up.

"Why does it matter to you?"

"I was just asking, Granger. No need to get defensive." He smirked.

"Just start writing." She handed him half of the papers.

"Servant stuff…" she heard him mumble under his breath.

After a few moments, there was no sound. They were both immersed in the work. Hermione tried her best to avoid any rude remarks, so she kept her mouth shut. Malfoy looked  
>uncomfortable. They worked like this for about half an hour before anything was said.<p>

"God, Granger, this is murdering my hand!" He complained as he massaged his fingers.

Hermione smiled ruefully.

"Get used to it – there's a lot more where that came from."

"Reminds me of one of Mcgonnogall's lectures…" he said, a distant look on his face.

Hermione laughed.

"She DID make us take a lot of notes, didn't she?"

"Not nearly as bad as Binns, though. I passed out so many times in that class." He smiled, reminiscing.

"Well, learning about Goblin rebellions wasn't exactly MY idea of a great time, either."

"Granger, when Slytherins had History of Magic with you, I would look up and see you reveling in everything that bloody ghost said."

"Well, someone had to pay attention. Harry and Ron weren't exactly competent when it came to homework." She grinned.

"Surprising as it may seem, I was actually a pretty good student." Malfoy said. He smiled, but  
>it disappeared as fast as it surfaced. Malfoy realized he was having an actual conversation<br>with Granger.

"I know – you were third in our class."

"Kept tabs on me, did you, Granger?" He teased.

"No – I just had to see who my competition was."

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"You beat everyone out by a landslide. Nerd." He tacked on as an afterthought.

"Well, look where it got me!" she said defensively.

"Yeah, in a small office filling out meaningless paperwork. What a great job." He winced in pain as if to exaggerate his words.

Hermione shook her head and bent back over the paperwork. Malfoy checked the time. It was well past 6:00. He wondered when Kendrina was going to meet with them.

"Malfoy, how much have you gotten done?" Hermione eyed his work from her side of the desk.

"Oh, er-" He glanced down. About nine out of twenty sheets were complete.

"I'll finish it tomorrow. I'm too tired to continue." Hermione said in a defeated tone.

Malfoy felt slightly bad for her, then banished the feeling. He couldn't go and pity Granger. She deserved what she got. But still…

"Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Granger. I didn't expect to find you together." Kendrina's voice came from outside of Hermione's door. "We have important news. You'd better stay sitting down."


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione felt panic sweep her body as she saw the worried expression on Kendrina's face. Kendrina was usually the kind of person who NEVER worried. She just got the job done. It seemed different this time. Kendrina walked over to the two of them and sat down in one of Hermione's visitor chairs.

"Well, we have confirmed all intelligence we have so far. The Death Eaters were in fact residing at the location we talked about earlier."

"Simple! We go in and get them, what's so hard about that?" Malfoy asked.

Kendrina gave Malfoy a look she only reserved for people who really ticked her off.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I was getting to that. We've sent in aurors, but it's been abandoned.  
>They've moved locations, and we have no idea where. We're going to need you and Granger to go to the residence tomorrow night, as scheduled. It's of vital importance that we investigate every last corner. Make sure you do it well, is all I have to say. You're going to be the only ones working there. You have to watch your backs."<p>

She stood up and walked to the door. She turned and added, "And Mr. Malfoy, as I can see you're a very proud man, you will LISTEN to any orders given to you. You don't want to go killing you and Granger both because you were stupid."

She walked out of the room, leaving Malfoy stunned. No one talked to him like that. He grimaced at her disappearing figure.

"Do something stupid…" Malfoy snorted.

"She has a point, you know." Hermione said casually.

Malfoy snapped his head up at her and scowled.

"You don't know me or anything about me, Granger. I'd shut it, if I were you."

Hermione pointed at the door.

"Out. It's time to leave."

"You can't just tell me to-"

"I wasn't being rude. I'm just saying that now we've met with Kendrina, we can leave."

Malfoy's pale skin flushed pink.

"Oh, right."

"Thanks for helping me with the papers. You really helped me out." She said kindly.

"Helped? Granger, I thought I told you, I was repaying a debt. It was not my desire to write until my hands bleed. And besides, don't really know how much I helped. I barely made a dent in mine."

"The fact that you tried is good enough. I'll just finish up tomorrow, like I said. I'm tired right now." She walked out of the office.

Malfoy followed her. Despite the annoying jabs she'd made earlier, his conversation with  
>Granger wasn't that bad. She was actually an alright person to talk to. It was better than a chat with Moaning Myrtle.<p>

"Granger." He said just as she was about to leave him.

"What is it, Malfoy?" she said in a sleepy tone.

"I think that I should apparate back with you, just in case. You can't be too careful."

"Malfoy, I' am perfectly capa-"

"Just shut it for a moment, Granger. I don't want to find that my partner is kidnapped tomorrow, just let me apparate back with you. You do it with Potter and Weasley constantly.  
>I don't want to have to patrol by myself tomorrow." He said coolly.<p>

"First you offer to help me finish my paperwork, you have an actual conversation with me  
>without being a jerk, and now you want to take me home… I don't know what you've done with Draco Malfoy, but please, leave him there." She smiled.<p>

Malfoy rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever. Let's just go. I'm starving, and quite frankly, I'm getting sick of you."

He took her arm and they disapparated.

After the nauseating and insane sensation of the apparition was over, Malfoy was being hurled into a bed of rose bushes.

"ARGH!" he yelled when the thorns jabbed at him.

Hermione was glancing down at him trying to repress giggles.

"What are you laughing at, Granger? Just get me out of this bloody plant!"

"Diffendo!"

The plant was destroyed, and Malfoy sat there, bleeding. Hermione stifled more laughter, and said, "Episkey" as she pointed her wand at his oozing wounds.

Malfoy stood up, a little bit of his dignity left with the remains of the rosebush. He looked up  
>at her place and grimaced.<p>

"THIS is where you live?"

Hermione's smile disappeared.

"Yes. It is." She turned away.

"Well, I'm home. You can leave now."

Malfoy nodded curtly.

"Yes, well, I suppose you're right."

"Malfoy?"

"What, Granger?"

"I know you're not too fond of me, but I appreciate your help. It's making this a lot easier on the both of us. Thanks." She turned immediately and reached for her doorknob.

"Granger, for you to be the best in our class, you should be doing more with your life."

Leave it to Malfoy to ruin any shred of helpfulness he'd built.

"I don't think I ever asked for career advice, Malfoy." She took her hand off of the knob and  
>put it on her hip.<p>

Malfoy laughed.

"I just don't know why you haven't gotten any other offers. Honestly, Granger, don't look at me like that."

Hermione was glaring at him.

"You've gotten a bit cheeky, haven't you? I suppose you have to, what with Potter and Weasley being the girls they are." He smirked.

"Leave Harry and Ron out of it." She said.

"Calm down, Granger, only making a statement. Well, I guess I'll have to endure another day with you tomorrow. Just don't mess up If there actually ARE Death Eaters there."

And with that, Draco disapparated.

"Pathetic ar*se" Hermione said.

The strange thing was, she was smiling while she said it.


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione's dreams were incoherent that night. They were jumbles of different people and had no true purpose. Malfoy's face appeared and disappeared at some points. It was the first time Hermione had dreamed of him without suffering a dreadful nightmare. She slept calmly through the night, and Malfoy's face lingered in her thoughts.

She woke up the next morning at a reasonable time, which shocked her. Her clock told her that it was 6 o' clock. It gave her enough time to get dressed, run a brush through her hair, and eat a quick breakfast. Though her hair was unruly and frizzy at Hogwarts, it had transformed into soft curls. She didn't need to usually do anything with it; just leave it down. She brushed it carefully, not wanting to make it bushy.

She gazed at herself in the mirror and saw a person who looked excited. That wasn't a usual thing. She despised going to work in the mornings, and she usually wore a tired scowl on her face. She was getting used to the idea of liking her job, now.

Just then, she faintly heard an owl screeching outside of the bathroom. She opened the door and allowed the owl to soar in and perch itself on her shower curtain rod. It was a handsome brown barn owl. He pecked at her finger, wanting her to hurry and detach the letter from its leg so he could be on his way. She worked quickly, then walked the owl outside of her flat.

"Miss Granger, I don't mean to be a bother… but, er – is that an owl you just let go?" said Hermione's neighbor, Mrs. Arbold as the owl disappeared into the fog.

"Oh, er, yes. Poor fellow must have been lost." Hermione offered dubiously.

Mrs. Arbold shot her a confused look, but probably decided it wasn't worth an explanation. Hermione sighed and walked back into her flat, almost forgetting the growling that erupted from her stomach. She made a quick breakfast of toast and tea, gobbled it in two minutes, then disapparated to the Ministry.

When she arrived, she was nearly shoved down by a foreign group of wizards They disregarded her completely and went on there way, chatting in a language Hermione didn't even know existed. She rubbed her temples in circles, already deciding that it was going to be a long and annoying day.

"Hermione! Fancy seeing you here so early." Ron walked up to her wearing a goofy grin.

"Ron, fancy seeing you here on time."

"Hey, I haven't been as bad the past few days."

"Not AS bad, but still a bit late." Hermione chided with a smile on her face.

"I'm not late, everyone just arrived too early."

Hermione rolled her eyes and began walking to her office.

"Hermione, I actually needed to tell you – Kendrina wants you in her office as soon as you can get there – it's apparently urgent. Want me to tag along?"

"Harry is your partner, Ron. You'd best go find him. He's had enough on his mind, lately, anyways."

Ron looked at her with a defeated expression and sulked as he walked away. Hermione continued on in the direction of her office, as Kendrina's was only a few doors away. She wondered if Malfoy would be there, but caught herself and tried to think about something else. He wasn't worth her time to be thinking about. Her shoes clacked against the marble floors loudly, and she realized that there were less people at the Ministry that day. It was usually so crowded, so it seemed a bit odd.

"Miss Granger, there you are." Kendrina said with a stony expression. "Come in, Mr. Malfoy's already come by. You can sit and wait next to him while I round up a few more team members. I have something important to discuss with you all in regards to the investigation."

Hermione nodded. If it was any worse than what she thought it was, she'd be worried sick for the rest of the day. She pried Kendrina's office door open as Kendrina marched away. Malfoy had his face in his hands, and he looked upset. Hermione's overly active imagination kicked into gear.

"Someone's been murdered, haven't they!" She yelled and flung open the door.

Malfoy jumped nearly three feet in the air.

"Cripes, Granger!" he had an annoyed look on his face, mixed with a bit of sleepiness.

"ANSWER ME!" She angrily fumbled for her wand in her robes and shakily held it up to his  
>face.<p>

His eyes grew wide and he knocked the wand out of her hand.

"What is your problem, you stupid mudblood?" he shouted.

"Who's been killed?"

"No one, who the he|l told you that?"

"Oh, well, um…" she looked away.

Malfoy straightened up his robes and fell back into his chair. He was breathing shakily.

"Ask before you go and nearly curse someone next time!"

"I just assumed that, well… Since she called us in here…"

Malfoy's chest seemed to be slowing down on its fast heaving.

"No one's been murdered, Granger. We haven't even fully began this investigation yet." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Then what did she call us in here for?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be here, would I? What the he|l makes you think I know?"

Hermione plunked into the chair next to him and brushed some stray hairs away from her face.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

Malfoy cast a dark look at her and put his face back in his hands.

"For someone to be so smart, you really can jump to some stupid conclusions."

"You looked upset, so I just assumed the worst." She said plainly, as if it were a mistake anyone could make. "What's your problem, anyways?"

"Besides people shouting nonsense at me while I'm half asleep?"

Hermione huffed impatiently. "Never mind. I don't care, anyhow."

Malfoy looked slightly amused.

"Well, Granger, if you MUST know, I was up half the night finishing off that bloody paperwork you had."

Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"Yes, so next time, thank me instead of screaming at me."

Kendrina bursted through the door with five other people. She looked extremely worried and rushed.

"Now that we're all here, there's some important news I must share with you. Miss Granger,

Mr. Malfoy, we need you to start your patrolling immediately. The Ministry thinks that there's going to be a murder today."


	16. Chapter 16

Hermione immediately stood up, her head filled with all sorts of worried and scattered thoughts. Malfoy's face was the same as it'd been before he heard the news. He just calmly stood up next to Hermione and asked, "When do we need to leave?"

"I like you being pro-active, Mr. Malfoy. At your leisure." She said sarcastically.

"Now, of course, you stupid buffoon." She added, just to make sure he knew she wasn't kidding.

Malfoy glared at her angrily and then jerked his head toward Hermione.

"Well? We haven't got all day."

They walked out of the office somberly. Neither one of them were looking forward to it as much, anymore.

"Can I stop by my office? I need to get something." Hermione aksed.

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Just don't take all day, Granger." He huffed.

She flew down the hall and flung open her door. She closed it behind her and ran over to her chair. She fell into it and began to hyperventilate. It was actually happening. All of the danger that was premeditated was now a reality, and it worried her sick. Her head fell into her hands, and she squeezed her eyes closed tightly.

A knock came at her door after a minute or so.

"Granger, honestly, we have to leave. Stop your pouting and GET A MOVE ON." Malfoy's voice was filled with annoyance and anger.

"I can unlock this door, you know. I AM a wizard, after all."

Hermione just stayed put. A single tear slid from her eye and rested on her cheek. She didn't know why she was overreacting about it; it just really got to her. She didn't want anything bad to happen, even though she knew it was an inevitability at this point.

"Alohomora!" Malfoy said.

The door bursted open and Malfoy strode in while putting his wand in his robes. He looked at her curiously.

"Granger, what the he|l are you doing?"

"Just go away for ONE minute, Malfoy." She said in a muffled voice from behind her hands.

"Oh… Er- " He realized she was upset, and felt a little bad for being rude.

No, no, he couldn't feel bad for a mudblood. He shook his head and walked closer to her. He extended his hand awkwardly. Hermione looked up at him, and he saw tears glistening in her eyes. He felt even worse than he did before, and he couldn't manage trying to take that remorse back. She looked so…sad.

"Come on, Granger." He said in a less harsh voice.

She looked at his hand. She hesitantly held up her own and grasped it. He pulled her up in one swift motion.

"We have to be there, so let's get a move on. I'll leave you alone when we get there so you can, er, clear your head."

They walked outside so that they could leave. Malfoy looked down at Hermione, then slid his hand into hers. They disapparated. Moments later, they were being flung onto the hard cement of a sidewalk outside of a very suspicious looking place. Hermione landed on top of Malfoy with a thud. She ended up elbowing him in the stomach pretty hard. He gasped for breath while Hermione tried to control her laughter.

"You t-t-t-think this is funny?" he wheezed.

Hermione pressed her hand into her mouth and shook her head, trying to look guilty. It didn't work. Malfoy drew in a few more breaths, and looked at her with an awkward expression. Hermione realized she was still on top of him. She stood up quickly, hitting her head on a tree branch just a few feet above where they were. She swayed and rubbed her head, cursing under her breath.

"Are you ok, Granger?"

She scowled and winced in pain.

"I'll take that as a no."

He stood up, still trying to catch his breath, and pulled out his wand.

"Homenum Revelio " He said. Nothing happened. He kept his wand at his side and said, "We'd better start."


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione still felt a bit ill at ease when they walked into the dark, gloomy house. Her stomach was in knots, and she couldn't help but feel like someone was watching them. She shook it off and tried her best to remain calm. It still surprised her how nice Malfoy was being that day. He wasn't going out of his way to hurt her feelings. She smiled to herself.

"What's that look for?" Malfoy said, looking at her like she was mad.

She blushed.

"Nothing."

Malfoy shook his head and walked ahead of her a few steps.

"I'll check the upstairs part, you check the downstairs. Do NOT put your wand away. It'll be the last thing you'll ever do." Malfoy warned her.

She nodded, deciding it wasn't worth the argument in telling him she already knew that. He trotted up the stairs and disappeared behind a wall. Hermione gripped her wand tightly and slowly walked through the house, keeping her eye out for something. She entered a room that was dimly lit, and she couldn't see.

"Lumos" she muttered.

Her wand tip glowed with a luminescent light and revealed the room. It was filled with chairs, all neatly arranged in three rows. There was a table on the other side of the room holding a book. Hermione pointed her wand in its direction and strode towards it. She picked it up and opened it gingerly. She used the tips of her fingers to leaf through the pages. The only words that splattered the pages were first and last names. A puzzled look danced across her face, and her head began to swim with questions.

"No one's here. There's nothing worth reporting from upstairs." Malfoy's voice echoed from outside of the room Hermione stood in.

Hermione snapped the book shut at the sound of his voice, not expecting it.

"Did you see anything, Granger?"

He walked into the room, his skin glowing from the light. His hair seemed to be even more blonde, if it was possible. His grey eyes fixed on hers, waiting on her answer.

"Oh, erm- Well, I found this." She held out the book for him to see.

He flipped through the pages, and his face bore the same confused expression that Hermione's did when she saw what was in it.

"D'you think that this has anything to do with the investigation?" He asked, a hint of arrogance in his voice.

"Well, It looks completely useless, but I thought that maybe those names belong to the death eaters behind this all." She said logically.

Realization dawned on Malfoy's features, and he nodded, speechless.

"We should take this back to the Min-"

"We can't, remember? We have duty here for the rest of the day. Granger, you're not telling me you can't remember a simple order, are you?" He cut her off.

She glowered at him.

He smirked.

"Granger, take a joke, for once. You don't have to be so serious all the time."

"Whatever. So what are we supposed to do while we wait for something to happen?"

"Honestly, I don't think anything is GOING to happen, but we'll sit here and keep watch for another few hours."

"Oh…" Hermione smiled. She was elated that there might not be any danger.

"I'm not looking forward to it, either." He sulked, mistaking her reply for boredom instead of relief.

Hermione walked to the sitting room and plopped herself in a lumpy sofa. Malfoy stood by the door, looking a bit hesitant.

"You can sit down, you know. I don't bite." She rolled her eyes.

Malfoy sneered and lumbered over to the sofa, not as reluctant as he'd looked moments before. He sat on the other side, as far away from her as possible. Hermione pretended not to notice.

"Why were you upset?" he asked, genuine curiosity coloring his voice.

"Why do you care?" Hermione retorted.

He closed his eyes and sighed.

"You just looked sad, is all." He said awkwardly.

"Well, I am a bit … concerned about how all of this is turning out." She admitted.

"Why?"

Hermione drew in a breath.

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt, especially Ron or Harry. I just don't think I'd be able to cope with that."

To her surprise, Malfoy nodded a bit sadly.

"I know what you're talking about. It makes sense. You don't want any of your friends to be hurt. I just don't know why you'd miss that annoying Weasel and Potty." He ended his sentence a bit mockingly, as if baiting her to respond angrily.

"When you've known them long enough, they grow on you. Even if they CAN be a bit over-bearing at times." She smiled fondly.

"What's the deal with you and ginger, anyways?" Malfoy asked with a bit of malice.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, come off it. Everyone's known he's fancied you since our first year." Malfoy snorted.

"Not that it's your business, Malfoy, but we aren't dating. I'm not interested in Ronald like that." She huffed.

Malfoy looked legitimately shocked at her response.

"Why does it matter?"

"Just making conversation." He looked away, but there was a smirk on your face.

"Whatever happened to you and Parkinson, anyways?"

Malfoy snapped around and said, "What?"

"Pansy, you know, your lapdog from school?" Hermione said with a bit of vindication.

She expected him to bite her head off, but was completely surprised to hear the light sound of his laughter. He doubled over, red in the face. Hermione didn't see the humor, but she did like seeing him do something besides glare or snare. He wiped a tear from his eye and chuckled again.

"Pansy? I cut her loose a LONG time ago. Not long into our sixth year, actually. That takes me back…" he reminisced.

"Pansy was just a girl who followed me around. I never much cared for her."

Hermione didn't expect him to tell her all of this.

"You seemed content enough with her."

Malfoy snickered again.

"Trust me, Granger, I got better than Parkinson." He grinned impishly.

Hermione snorted.

"You always were a bit of a flirt, weren't you?"

Malfoy laughed again and nodded his head.

"Girls couldn't resist my charms."

"Charms? You were awful!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, don't kid yourself, Granger. You know you liked it, too."

Hermione looked away and blushed.

"Keep dreaming, Malfoy." She muttered.

"What happened to you after school, anyways?"

Hermione really didn't expect her conversations with Malfoy to be civil, let alone entertaining. It amazed her at how…NICE he was being.

"Well, I applied for this post at the Ministry, and I've been working there ever since. Not a lot went on." She said plainly.

"Blimey, Granger! You've been working there for that long and they're just NOW putting you on a case like this?" He shook his head in disbelief.

"What about you?" She inquired, ignoring his comment.

"Well, not a lot. I didn't want this job, at first. You know how my family is…" he trailed off.

"Anyways, I've been trying to be a "good guy" after all of that business with the Dark Lord."

"But you didn't want to work for Voldemort, did you?"

Malfoy winced at his name, but unlike other people, it caused him real pain. It was more than just a name to him; he'd seen what the villain could be like first hand.

"Well, my upbringing wasn't exactly a erm – well, it wasn't the nicest of families." He finished with difficulty.

Hermione nodded and she subconsciously reached out to touch his hand. His eyes opened wide and he yanked it away like he'd touched a hot wire. Hermione hid a hurt expression and changed the subject.

"I'm getting a bit hungry, would you like anything in particular to eat?"

"No." was all he responded.

Hermione guessed she couldn't complain; being a decent human being was only an occasional thing for Malfoy. At least she got a good half hour out of him. She wordlessly left the room, her wand gripped tightly in her hand. She padded around the house to find a kitchen and managed to summon a sandwich and a flask of pumpkin juice. She didn't know why she was so upset about Malfoy's reaction. She decided to stow the thought away.

"/_NOT worth my time_/" She thought.

She ate in silence, her eyes darting around the room to make sure someone wasn't there. She felt a little unsafe when she was by herself. She knew she could stun anyone who crossed her path, but it frightened her at how many names were in that book.

Malfoy came hurtling into the kitchen after she finished her sandwich with a frightened look on his face.

"GRANGER! We need to hide NOW!" He yelled.

"Wh-"

"Granger, can you shut it for two seconds? There are people coming."

Her mouth popped open and she vanished her empty plate and flask with a flick of her wand.

"What do we do?" She whispered furiously.

"HIDE." He said back.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her through the hall. Hermione heard some distinct voices floating from the sitting room. There were people there. She raised her wand and looked behind her, to make sure they weren't following them. She didn't feel Malfoy next to her, anymore, so she thought that he was finding a place for them to hide. She turned around and gasped at what she saw.

A gnarled-looking man with a hooked nose and stringy blonde hair was smiling menacingly back at her. She backed up slowly, but realized it would do no good.

"Lost are you, my pretty? Well, well, it seems as if you've been snooping about. We can't have that now, can we?" The man said with a raspy voice.

He raised his wand and said, "Avada Ked-" but was cut off.

Malfoy had attacked him from behind and hit him over the head. Hermione raised her wand and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!"

The man lay immobilized under Malfoy's grip. Malfoy threw him aside and said, "Wipe his memory, NOW."

"Obliviate." She whispered.

Hermione started to say something, but Malfoy smashed his hand against her lips.

"Sh, there's another one, stupid mudblood!"

Hermione tried not to take offense, but it still hurt. The look of contempt and rage ignited in his eyes, much like the looks he used to give her while they were still at school. She knew it was because he was frustrated; she was too. It was also a very frightening situation.

"AVADA -"

Hermione whipped around at the sound of the new voice and yelled. "Expelliarmus!"

The man's wand flew from his hands, but he was too slow to react before Hermione spoke up again.

"Petrificus Totalus! Obliviate!"

The man lay, much like the other, frozen on the ground with a vacant look in his eyes. Hermione looked over to Malfoy, but didn't see him anywhere. She looked on the ground to find him hunched over the other man, looking through his robes.

"What are you -"

"Shut it, Granger. I'm looking for any identification. It might be able to tell us if this is for real."

"It's for real, alright." Hermione said bitterly.

Malfoy stood up and said, "I think we need to go back to the Ministry, now." With a cold look on his face.


	18. Chapter 18

Malfoy angrily grasped Hermione's hand and disapparated. Moments later, they were walking into the Ministry. Well, Hermione was walking, Malfoy was nearly sprinting. She ran to keep up with him, growing concerned at the furious look on his face. His blond hair fell into his eyes and swung back and forth with every movement he made. Kendrina was writing on some parchment when Malfoy flew through her door.

She looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"What on Earth are you doing he-"

"There's been a complication." He said, just audible enough for Kendrina to hear him.

Panic struck her features.

"What happened?" she asked, a frightening tone replacing her worried one.

Malfoy sucked in a shaky breath and told the story.

"We barely escaped with our lives… If I hadn't found Granger, we would both be dead."

Hermione reveled in his compliment, even if it wasn't said in the nicest of ways. She knew that if they'd been separated much longer, or if Malfoy hadn't come hurtling in the kitchen to warn her, she'd be dead. It wasn't just her that saved either of them; it was a team effort. Malfoy was beginning to grow on her, arrogant and sarcastic as he was. She watched him explain to Kendrina, his lips parting in an attractive way. Hermione felt herself lost in his silvery eyes, which were tainted with frustration and worry. Hermione noticed that he was attractive before, but it was their mutual hatred that blinded her from that.

"Ms. Granger…. Ms. Granger?" Kendrina was asking.

Hermione snapped out of her thoughts and said, "Wh-what?"

Kendrina glared.

"I was asking you to describe the men you encountered on your patrol."

Hermione felt her face grow red as Malfoy looked at her with the same miffed expression. They must've asked her about three times before she realized that they were talking to her.

"Oh, erm, the first one was blonde, and he had a rather large nose. His voice was like a car running out of gas – he rasped a bit."

Hermione was greeted with confused expressions.

"His voice was like a … what?" Kendrina asked.

It had completely slipped Hermione's mind that Kendrina and Malfoy weren't very well acquainted with muggle contraptions.

"A c- oh, never mind. It was just very raspy." She finished hastily.

Kendrina's expression never faltered.

"Mudbloods and their silly customs." Hermione heard Malfoy mutter under his breath.

"Enough of that, Malfoy. I'll have you knocked off of this case if you can't be civil." Kendrina snapped, her hawk-like eyes boring into him.

Hermione thought that it wouldn't bother her, but it did. Even after they'd talked a little, he still thought of her as just a mudblood. She sighed and said, "I'll let Mr. Malfoy finish explaining this to you. There's paperwork to be done on this." She left Kendrina's office without a word.

Hermione wasn't sure where her feet were taking her, but it wasn't to her own office. She absent-mindedly strolled through the corridors of the Ministry, until she parked herself in front of a large, mahogany door. The nameplate read, "Harry Potter – Auror; Department of Magical Law Enforcement". Without another hesitant thought, Hermione bursted in, tears flying from her eyes.

Harry was at his desk, writing a letter to Ron when she came in. He was startled, and he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Merlin, Hermione!" he yelled.

He saw that she was crying and immediately wished he could take back the angry tone he'd used. Hermione never cried, especially around anyone else. Harry felt a sudden rush of compassion and rose from his chair. Hermione flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, blubbering the entire time. Harry awkwardly patted her back. When she pulled away, her eyes were red and tear tracks made a maze of patterns in the bit of dirt on her face.

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong, or do you just want another hug?" he offered.

He didn't like seeing his best friend like this.

"Ju-just a mudblood." He thought he heard her mumble.

A new emotion replaced the caring one he had; it was rage.

"Where's that pureblood prat?" he asked angrily.

Hermione just hit him on the arm and said, "N-n-n-no, not worth it."

She sunk into a chair and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. All of the emotions she'd suppressed along the way were flowing out of her, not ceasing. She finally caught her breath and was able to stop the tears after a moment. She looked up at Harry and said, "We were both almost killed."

"Probably his fault." Harry muttered.

Hermione shook her head.

"We were patrolling – the Ministry made us go early because they thought that a murder was going to happen today. They sent us to the house they had intelligence about death eaters at. We were talking, then I went to make lunch in the kitchen, and he came in. He was yelling that there were people in the house and we needed to hide. They ended up finding us, but I erased both of their memories."

"Saved Malfoy's skin, didn't you? Why didn't you just leave him there and save yourself. Oh, come on, 'Mione, he's not worth it." He added when he saw Hermione cringe.

"Even after school, he's still the pathetic ar*se who can't treat others like humans. I swear, if he keeps calling you a mudblood, I'm going to kill him. You won't need Ron to do it."

Almost as if on cue, Ron came through the door of Harry's office, whistling a Celestina Warback song. He immediately stopped when he saw the hurt expression on Hermione's face.

"Did I miss something?" he asked stupidly.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"Pureblood went and insulted Hermione, again. After she saved his ar*se, no surprise there."

Ron's face went red and his eyes narrowed.

"Where is he? I'd like to have a little chat with him…" Ron pulled out his wand.

Hermione stood immediately and slapped the wand out of Ron's hand.

"Why the HE|l are you sticking up for HIM, of all people?" Ron shouted in protest.

"I'm not sticking up for him – I just don't either of you idiots to get fired because you made a stupid decision." She said.

She ignored the look of hatred on Ron's face and gently put her arms around him. She felt Ron shiver and she pulled away immediately. This was one of the reasons she didn't hug Ron anymore; it got too awkward.

Harry cleared his throat and said, "Ron, I think Kendrina wanted to see you about something."

Ron started to object, but hung his head and exited Harry's office. A beautiful amber colored owl in a cage on Harry's wooden desk hooted, pecking at the brass of the cage with its beak. Harry looked absently over at, realizing he never finished the letter.

"No use for it now…" he said to himself.

He picked up the letter and crumpled it up. Hermione walked over to Harry and whispered, "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid? I just wanted to talk to you. I didn't want to stir anything up."

Harry sighed.

"Hermione, I can't promise I won't hex him if he says something like that to you. You're my best friend, and when you get torn up about stuff that Malfoy says, it has to be bad. I'm going to protect you – that's it, no questions asked."

"No one could have a better friend than you, Harry. I just don't want you to do anything stupid just because I get upset over little things like this."

Harry's face grew angry.

"This isn't LITTLE, Hermione. You're twice the person he'll EVER be. He can say some pretty messed up things; this isn't little."

He took grabbed her hand and squeezed it, a look of hatred flashing through his green eyes. Hermione looked away and said, "Well, I'd better get back to my office. After an ordeal like that, there's bound to be a million papers for me to fill out on my desk." She muttered miserably.

"If you need anything -"

"Thanks, Harry. You really are my best friend." She smiled before she left.

As Hermione walked off, Harry looked after her.

"Yeah… friend." He muttered dejectedly.


	19. Chapter 19

After leaving Harry's office, Hermione felt a bit happier. She wasn't completely elated about the whole "mudblood" thing, though. She was surprised that it had gotten to her so much. She'd been used to Malfoy calling her that, among many other things, in their Hogwarts days. The walk to her office was quiet, and Hermione realized that a lot of the witches and wizards that had been there left. It was getting a bit late – around seven. She still needed to finish paperwork – that wasn't just an excuse to get away from that wretched pure blood. Surely enough, when she opened her office door, there was a large stack of papers on her desk, awaiting her attention. She hung her head and walked to the desk, taking as much time as possible.

It was painfully slow filling out the papers, as usual. It didn't surprise her that they weighted this all on her and gave none to Malfoy. The minute hand on the clock seemed to move more quickly than usual. It occurred to Hermione that it would take her ALL night to finish the papers. She thought about just giving up, but it meant that more time would be taken away from her tomorrow, and the investigation needed all of her attention.

A short rapping sound came from her door. She shut her eyes tightly and prayed to Merlin that it wasn't Malfoy. She didn't think she could face him at the moment.

"Hermione?" Much to her relief, it was Harry's voice.

"Come in." She said in a tired, but pleased tone.

The doorknob turned and Harry came in, purple bags developing under his eyes.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked her.

"Paperwork… nothing new." She said, beckoning at the papers scattered on her desk.

"Do you er, want any help?" He asked reluctantly.

Hermione laughed sleepily.

"No, that's fine. I'll manage. Going to the Weasley's for dinner?"

He nodded.

"Ginny'll be expecting me." He said in an off-put sort of voice.

The change in his tone didn't go un-noticed by Hermione.

"I don't mean to pry, but er – is everything alright between you two?"

He looked up and his bright green eyes pierced hers. There was sadness in them, that much she could tell.

"_Maybe they're having a fight." _She thought.

"Yeah. Great." He said without enthusiasm.

He turned away from her. Hermione detected pain in his eyes. He looked almost as if he were in agony at the very thought of Ginny. She didn't understand, they worked so well together. Ginny was extremely taken with Harry. Ginny cared a lot about him, but it seemed like Harry was very upset about something at the moment.

"Harry? You can talk to me, you know." Hermione said, concern seeping into her voice.

Harry looked at her and forced a terrible fake smile.

"It's fine, 'Mione. I'll see you later."

He left her office without another word, leaving Hermione a puzzled mess. She shook the strange and worrying encounter out of her head and groaned at the papers before her. She glanced at the clock, and nearly two hours had gone by. By this rate, she'd be there until morning. She sat down and attempted to write with her quill. No ink came from the dry nib. She flung her head back and sighed loudly. She'd have to make a trip to the stock room.

It was getting darker in the Ministry, and it scared her a bit. Emerald flames poured out of brass plates hung in precise patterns, lighting her path in an eery way. She shivered a bit.

"Hermione, you've faced death eaters and seen Voldemort yourself… You can HANDLE a bit of spookiness." She reassured herself.

Her lie wasn't nearly convincing enough to believe. Even she didn't believe it, but she accepted her own blind faith and walked cautiously to the stock room. Usually, it was a quick trip, but it seemed to take forever. She laughed to herself when she remembered it being like this when she was little. She'd run all the way from her door to her bed, frightened that a monster of some sort would come after her. She'd been able to leap a whole three feet by the time she was seven, but that disappeared along with her fear of monsters by the time she'd reached her tenth birthday.

Footsteps echoed behind her, so she quickened her pace. She knew it was silly, but she could never be too careful. Her hands shook at her sides as she trudged along the way, and she glanced back from time to time, not seeing anything. The footsteps drew closer, and she could hear them about ten feet away. She told herself not to look back. Forgoing the curious nature she had, she glanced behind her shoulder and saw a tall figure walking towards her.

She shrieked and took off down the hall, not bothering to see who it might be.

"Merlin, Granger! You nearly broke my eardrum!" came the shrilling voice of Malfoy.

She stopped in her tracks, skidding a bit from all the momentum she'd exerted.

"Malfoy! Don't EVER scare me like that again!"

"It's not my fault you're too skittish!" He yelled.

She was only fully relieved when he got closer and she could see his face.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked her suspiciously, as if she were up to something.

"Paperwork."

"Ah." That was explanation enough for him. He'd seen all of the work she was forced to complete, he'd even experienced it firsthand. It wasn't pleasant, to say the least.

"What were you doing out of your office, then?"

"Malfoy, not that it's your business by the way, but I was getting an ink bottle. I ran out. I could ask YOU the same question." She retorted.

"No need to get defensive, Granger, it was only a question. And I'm still here because Kendrina wanted me to make statements about our little, er, mishap today." He scowled.

"You act as if that's worse than your hand falling off."

"It is. " He said with distaste.

"Well, if you'll excuse me."

Hermione made sure to shove him out of the way a bit harder than she normally would have. He stumbled a bit. Hermione was only about five feet away before he was jogging to catch up with her.

"Well, don't you want some help? I doubt I've repaid my debt fully." He smirked.

Hermione turned to face him with a look of contempt and hatred on her face.

"Woah, sorry. Won't offer my services, anymore." He snared.

"Don't' act as if you're the victim." She scoffed and continued on to the stock room.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and was turned around to look Malfoy straight in the eyes.

"What did I do, this time, Granger? It's always something with you. I've been trying to be decent to you, if you haven't seen that." He tried to convey the sentence in his usual arrogant drawl, but the shakiness and worry in his voice destroyed whatever attempt he made to sound cold.

Hermione tried to look antagonizing and rude, but failed. She couldn't help but let the sadness shine through her amber eyes. Her pain reflected in his eyes, and he dropped his mouth.

"Did I really do something?" He sounded confused and upset.

Never in a million years did Hermione Granger think that Malfoy would feel any remorse towards her, whatever the crime. She turned away from him and let a single tear escape her eye before hastily wiping it away. She would NOT waste any tears over Draco Malfoy. She mentally rolled her eyes at the thought of him. She strode forward, trying to leave him behind. He was persistant.

"Granger, what did I do? I saved your ar*se today!" he exclaimed.

She laughed manically, and turned to face him.

"Don't make me laugh, Malfoy. I believe it was /I/ who saved us."

He scoffed.

"Granger, had it not been for ME, you would have never even known that there were people in the house. You should be THANKING me, not making me think I did something wrong. You owe me an apology."

Hermione grinned, but it was deranged.

"Malfoy, I don't owe you a damned thing."

She turned on her heel and sped up her pace. She turned around, and he was gone, just like that. She was a little taken aback. She'd expected a rude remark out of him, at the very least. She told herself not to bother with any thoughts of him; he wasn't worth it. She'd just avoid him as much as she could throughout the rest of the month long investigation. She cringed at the thought.

Hermione picked out three bottles of black ink from the storage room and struggled to keep them in her hands as she walked steadily back to her office. She'd expected everyone to have left, because the silence was nearly deafening, in a way. She saw a light flooding from the crack under her door.

"Strange…" she mumbled to herself.

She thought she'd turned off the light. She must have been going a bit mad with the lack of sleep. She tried her best to keep the ink bottles in her hand, but it was quite a difficult task when she needed to open the door. She propped one of them on her thigh and steadily extended her hand. She held her breath, desperately hoping that none of them would fall. She didn't feel like replacing the carpet, as old as it was. The door opened gently and with ease, much to her relief.

The ink bottles wobbled around, so she hastily scooped them into her arms. She very nearly dropped them when she saw none other than Draco Malfoy sitting at her desk and scribbling away.

"Ma-Malfoy?"

He looked up with a hurt expression on his face, but quickly masked it with his composed, signature sneer.

"Surprised, Granger?"

He bent over his work and continued his scrawling. Hermione walked over and sat the ink bottles down on her desk.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded shakily.

"Well, obviously I've done SOMETHING, even though you won't tell me what it is." He spat vindictively.

"I've only come to share the work – we were both out there, if you don't recall."

Hermione into a chair next to him. She picked up her quill and dipped it into the new ink, apprehensive about Malfoy sitting next to her.

After a few minutes of nothing but the sound of scrawling, Malfoy cleared his throat.

"Granger, what could I have possibly done to make you so angry?" he asked dubiously.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It's more of the fact that you exist that bothers me, Malfoy." She said with acidity.

Malfoy's hopeful expression didn't falter. Amusement flickered across his face.

"Granger you've gotten a bit feisty, now haven't you?"

"Piss of, Malfoy."

He smirked.

"You know, I have an extra stock of Verituserum at my disposal, and some if it may mysteriously end up in your morning tea. You'd tell me what was bothering you then, now wouldn't you." He grinned deviously.

"Oh, go to He|l, Malfoy."

His face grew serious.

"Granger, just tell me. If you stay mad this entire investigation, it'll ruin things for the BOTH of us, and quite frank-"

"I HATE it when you call me a MUDBLOOD!" she shouted.

Malfoy looked taken aback.

"Wha-"

"Don't play stupid, Malfoy, you know you do it. It bothers me, and it makes me feel like less of a person. I got better marks than you in school, and I you're a pureblood. It makes me upset!" She bursted out in anger.

"W-"

"Don't bother." She muttered.

She gripped her quill tightly in her hand. She began to write, not concentrating on what she was doing. She felt a pair of arms tighten around her waist. She looked up to see Malfoy's face merely inches from hers. He was … hugging her.

"Malfoy, get the he-"

"Just shut it, Granger, this is me being … nice."

He was holding her, and she didn't want him to let go. He released his grasp and cleared his throat.

"I apologize. It's a knee-jerk reaction. I'll try my best to control it around you. It's out of habit."

Hermione was stunned.

"I just called you so many awful things at school, and I'd like to put all of that behind us. Can we be…friends?" The scary part was that he actually sounded genuine in his request.

Hermione sputtered, trying to pluck the right words that were scattered in her brain.

"Y-y-yeah." She figured this was enough, because it brought a wry smile to his face.

"Good, then."

He returned to his work without another word. Hermione was sure that he could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest.


	20. Chapter 20

At one o'clock in the morning, Hermione and Malfoy had completed all of her paperwork. She looked over to him when he finally put down his quill and noticed deep purple shadows forming underneath his eyes. His gaze was glazed over until he looked back at her.

"What?" He asked a bit harshly.

"Nothing." She smiled sleepily and stood up.

"Are you ready to leave, or would you rather stay here all night?" She asked jokingly.

Malfoy stood quickly and stumbled a bit. He obviously wasn't used to being up this late.

"Yes, let's go." He mumbled.

"Well, I'll see you later." Hermione said.

"What?" Malfoy asked.

"Malfoy, er – we live in different houses. We have to leave each other now." She laughed.

Malfoy looked angrily at her.

"I'm aware, Granger, thank you for informing me of that." He snapped.

"I meant to say that I don't think you should go by yourself at this hour. I'll take you, then disapparate to my home." He finished.

Hermione looked at him questioningly. He really was trying to go out of his way to make amends. She figured if this was as nice as he was going to be, she'd better strike while the iron was hot.

"Sure, Malfoy. Got everything you need?"

He nodded and gestured for her to walk out. They both left the office walking side by side. The emerald flames that scared her before were no longer frightening; instead they were welcoming and happy. The once dark hall seemed to get a bit lighter just with him walking next to her. She ignored these thoughts and quickened her pace a bit.

"Granger! Slow down, It's not a bloody race." He complained sleepily.

Hermione looked back at him. He really did look exhausted. He could hardly keep his footing in step, and his eyes were only half open. She felt a rush of sympathy for Malfoy. She could feel sympathy for him now; they were friends. At least that's what she told herself.

"Draco, I can manage. I'll just go home by myself. You really need the sleep. " She said kindly.

"No, Granger, it's getting to be too late and – wait." He paused.

"Did you just call me 'Draco'?"

Red tinged Hermione's cheeks.

"W-well, y-yes, I figured since we're friends, we're on a first name basis."

Shock was written in every last pale part of Malfoy's slightly pointed face. He didn't say anything for a moment. He'd never expected Granger to call him by his name… only people who liked him did. He was so used to spitting her last name tauntingly at her, so it came as a bit of a surprise.

"Well, I guess we are then….Hermione." He said, testing it out. It felt strange rolling off of his tongue, but in a good way.

Hermione's smile lit up the dark corridor. Her amber eyes were shining with happiness, even though she felt as if she was going to pass out..

"What are you smiling so big about? It's just a name." Draco tried to drawl, but her calling him by his first name made him just as happy as he made her.

Hermione didn't say anything, she just led them both out of the Ministry with a comfortable silence. Malfoy took her hand gently. It was soft, even for her to write as much as she did. Malfoy reveled in its smooth texture, and he lingered as he laced her fingers through his. Hermione cast him a look right before they disapparated.

Hermione's flat came into view, and they were thrown on the ground as they lost their footing. Hermione looked up to see a very shocked Ms. Arbold looking directly at them.

"Ms. Granger – wha-" words seemed to fail her.

Hermione tried to hastily scrape together an explanation in her mind.

"Ms. Arbold, well – er, we just got here."

"I can see that… but you weren't here a second before I turned around!"she accused.

"We were pretty quiet. Sorry if we've disturbed you." She said.

Hermione could swear she heard Ms. Arbold mutter "Drunken young people" before she walked into her flat and slammed the door.

"Charming." Malfoy said with distaste.

"I really hate muggles…" he said under his breath.

"Hey!"

Malfoy looked up with a startled expression. He knew he'd been caught.

"What, I said muggles! Not mudbl-"

"I know, just keep the non-magical bashing to a minimum, will you?" she said irritably.

"Sorry, Grang- I mean, sorry, Hermione." He said, correcting himself.

Hermione looked up at him with a forgiving look in her eyes.

"It's alright… Just remember, try to control yourelf."

Malfoy looked at his feet awkwardly.

"I've just gotten used to-"

"It's ok, I understand." She cut him off.

"Well, I guess I should probably go now…" he mumbled sleepily.

Hermione smiled.

"I'll see you tomorrow. Kendrina has to talk with us about our next assignment."

"Right, right." He mumbled again.

Hermione stepped up to her door and turned to look over her shoulder.

"Well, bye."

She didn't expect him to walk up to her, but he did. He stared at her sleepily with his grey eyes. They seemed to look past her skin and penetrate into her soul. She drew in a shaky breath. He stepped closer to her. Hermione began to get a little nervous. He rested his head on her shoulder and gently wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He whispered.

He let go and stepped down, smirking over his shoulders.

"Bye, friend."

With that, he disapparated. Hermione's heart was beating a mile a minute, and she was breathing heavily. She stumbled closer to her door and unlocked it. It was quieter without Malfoy there. It was somewhat empty, too. She felt like something was missing.

"At least we're friends, now." She said aloud.

Without another thought, she flung herself on her couch, too tired to try and make it up to her bedroom or change into her night clothes. She sunk into the soft cushions and drifted away into a dreamless sleep.

Hermione didn't wake up until late the next morning. It was ten o'clock when she shot up on her couch and looked around with a confused expression on her face. She glanced over at the clock in her tiny kitchen.

"Merlin's pants!" she screamed.

She was extremely late for work. She leaped off of the couch and stumbled on her way up to her bedroom. She absently grabbed a shirt and skirt that didn't match and ran to the bathroom. She was about to jump in the shower when she realized she was a witch.

"Afrando" she said, pointing her wand at herself.

She felt all of the dirt and oil disappear from her, and her hair began smelling like lavender. The spell was an invention of her own; she'd been late too many times before, and she always felt it necessary to be clean. She hastily pulled the shirt over her head while attempting to wear the skirt at the same time. She fell over, knocking her knee into the toilet and tumbling down into a messy heap on the floor.

A sound came from her sitting room, but she was too busy trying to change to investigate.

"Hermione?" came the uncertain sounding voice of Harry.

Hermione's eyes widened, and she barely got the skirt on in time for Harry to be face to face with her.

"Alright , there?" he looked as if he were trying to repress laughter.

"Oh, shut up." She muttered as she stood up.

Her shirt wasn't buttoned correctly, and her skirt was full of wrinkles. Harry's face was contorted with the desire to laugh as Hermione walked out to find her cloak.

"Doubt I'm catching you on your best day. How late were you at the Ministry?" He asked, his voice somewhat worried.

"Well, I was there until one o'clock filling out that damned paperwork." She scowled.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I should have stayed - "

"No, it's fine. I had help. Malfoy stayed with me." She stated.

Harry's expression turned sour.

"What, did he figure he should be nice for once to make up for what an arse he really is?" Harry laughed bitterly.

"W-well, it was partly his obligation. It was over our assignment, and I wasn't going to be the only one there."

Harry said nothing.

"He didn't say anything else rude to me, if that's what you're worried about."

"Hermione, I love you, and I don't want him to DO anything to you. He's that kind of person! He tried to curse me when my back was turned more times than I can count!"

"I love you, too, Harry. But come on, Malfoy's grown up a BIT since school, hard as that is to believe. " She sighed.

"You really worry too much." She smiled and punched his arm playfully.

"Let's go, I'm already three hours late as it is."

"Er, Hermione?"

"What?"

"You may want to uh – brush your hair or something."

She reached for the top of her head and discovered that her hair was everywhere. Her showering spell had its drawbacks – she'd completely forgotten. She then got a bright idea. She still had some Sleekeazy's Hair Potion left over from a Ministry event about a month back. "Hang on!" she said in an excited voice. She left a very confused Harry standing in her sitting room while she ran upstairs. She put the rest of the potion all over her hair and felt it immediately straighten. She grabbed a brush off of her desk and ran it through her new hair. It felt soft in her fingers, flowing from her head like a waterfall. She pulled it to the side of her head and secured it with a clip. Before she left her room, she coated her eyelashes with mascara, figuring if she was going to already be late, why not make the most of it? She padded to the sitting room where Harry was twiddling his thumbs. He looked up and saw her glowing with happiness. "Wow, Hermione -" "Let's go, Harry. I'm ready to get to work." He wordlessly followed her outside and took her arm in his. They dissapparated, and were at the Ministry moments later. Hermione gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you at lunchtime." She said as she was walking off. Harry stared at her, wondering what had gotten into his … friend. His thoughts grew a bit darker after she disappeared, and he walked to his office in a slump. Hermione was sprinting to her office when she noticed that nearly no one was at the Ministry. It was usually filled with chatting witches and wizards. It'd been so busy recently, and she didn't understand. She walked to her office, noticing that no one in her department had even bothered to show up. She couldn't have been THAT late, could she have? She spotted Kendrina about ten feet down the hall, and she rushed over to her. "Kendrina!" Kendrina dropped all of the papers she'd been carrying and scowled. "Ms. Granger, what are you doing here?" Hermione looked confused. "I told your entire department to take the day off." She prompted. Hermione's mouth dropped open. She was a bit angry at herself, but more so at Kendrina. "When did you tell us this?" She shouted. Kendrina looked offended. "Well, Ms. Granger, I told you all this morning at seven when you were supposed to be in my office getting your assignment for the day." He eyes narrowed to slits. "Right, oh." Hermione mumbled. "So, go home." Kendrina said, then walked away haughtily. Hermione would have to write a note of apology later – she couldn't have Kendrina being mad at her at a time like this. "Gr-Hermione." She turned around to see Malfoy looking at her curiously. "Oh, hello, Draco." She said. "I see you've realized we have the day off." He commented. "Yes. I woke up late." She muttered. "I didn't get to sleep, for some reason." "Draco! Your eyes were barely open when you left!" she said, a bit mad at him for not taking proper care of himself. "Yeah, yeah. Don't nag me, Granger." He said, a bit arrogantly. Hermione shot him a look. "Sorry, HERMIONE." He corrected. "Well, I was wondering, since we have the day off, and we're both here with nothing to do…" he trailed off. "Yes?" He looked up at her, his silvery eyes filling with a genuine, sanguine warmness. "Do you want to spend the day with me? I mean, now that we're friends, we've got a lot to learn about one another. Unless you don't want to, that is - " "Draco, just shut up and let's go." He smirked. "There's that feisty Granger coming back out." 


	21. Chapter 21

"Just where exactly do you plan on taking me?" Hermione asked him.

"I was thinking Diagon Alley."

Hermione smiled. She hadn't been there in a while, and she was itching to find some new books in Flourish and Blotts.

"If that's ok with you, that is." Malfoy added hastily.

"Of course. Let's go." She smiled and took his hand, disapparating a second after.

They stood in front of the Leaky Cauldron moments after, and Hermione smiled fondly at the familiar sign. They were still holding each other's hand, but Malfoy didn't release it. He was also gazing at the sign, but a hint of sadness dulled his eyes. Hermione looked over at him, still smiling.

"Draco?"

Malfoy's eyes widened in shock, like he was being pulled from his thoughts too abruptly. He released her hand quickly, like it was a hot potato. Hermione thought nothing of it. She just smiled and grabbed it again, pulling him toward the Leaky Cauldron. He didn't object.

The bell rang as they entered the musty old tavern, causing the few witches in wizards in the pub to glance over. The Leaky Cauldron hadn't changed a bit. Even Tom still worked there, which surprised Hermione quite a bit. They walked out to the brick wall, and Hermione tapped it three up and two across. The bricks on the wall unsheathed themselves and moved out of the way in a jigsaw like manner. Hermione still reveled in how much she loved the magical world. Diagon Alley was her first experience with something like this, and it held a special place in her heart.

"Hermione, are we going to stand here and stare at the bloody wall, or are we going to get a move on?" Malfoy asked, halfway joking.

"Oh, right, sorry." She stepped through the archway the bricks had made and fixed her eyes on the magical world before her.

A witch shoved past her clutching a crying child saying, "Shh, don't cause a scene, I'll not pay seven galleons for such a thing!"

Hermione was taken aback, but she giggled at the little boy. She could remember when she wanted to buy everything in her reach when she was younger.

"Any sort of place you'd like to go? I was hoping you'd accompany me to Flourish and Blotts."  
>Malfoy said, interrupting her thoughts.<p>

Hermione smiled and turned to face him.

"You read?"

"Yes, Granger, you aren't the only one. I just don't read as MUCH as you. But then again, that's damned near impossible, isn't it?"

"I'll take that as a compliment?" she asked instead of stated.

"You should. That's the nicest I'm going to give out, I'm afraid."

The corners of his mouth pulled up into a smile. He grasped her hand and pulled her along until they got to Flourish and Blotts. Hermione tried to repress a squeal that was budding in her throat. She'd been in desperate need of new reading material. Without thinking, she ran up to the door, flung it open, and sprinted in the store to marvel at the tons of books around her. She felt like she was eleven years old again.

"Excited, are we?" Malfoy said with a teasing tone.

"You have no idea…" Hermione mumbled.

"Well have a look around; I've got to see if they got a special book I've been wanting in stock."

"What is it?" Hermione asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Erm – I'd rather not say." He said, pink tinging his cheeks.

Hermione decided it was best not to ask questions. She didn't want to make him mad when they'd just started their outing. She began thumbing through some spell books, hoping to find something that she'd never encountered before. It was wishful thinking, of course. Hermione had torn through nearly every book in existence when she'd lived at Hogwarts.

After a while of sorting through the books, she sighed in defeat. Nothing caught her eye, so she looked at a book filled with hair potions. She could do with a bit more selection, and she'd lost the recipe for the Sleazeaky potion, anyways.

When she was diving into the book, Malfoy returned clutching a parcel.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Hermione asked, not looking up.

She was far too engrossed with the intricate directions for the potion.

"Er, yes, I did." Malfoy said awkwardly.

Hermione noticed the strange tone in his voice and looked at him. He was wearing a strange expression, like he was up to something and didn't want her to know about it. She decided to dismiss it and said,

"I think I've found something."

"That's great – what is it?" Malfoy asked, sounding like he actually wanted to know.

She held up the book for him to see. He laughed.

"What?" she demanded, her tone defensive.

"Granger, you really DO need that book." He sputtered.

"What is THAT supposed to mean, MALFOY?" she used his last name to show how menacing she wanted to sound.

Malfoy was starting look as if he wished he hadn't said anything.

"I was j-just joking." He said, the sincerity reflecting in his eyes.

"You're going to have to pay for that one." She swatted him with the book.

"Oh? And what are the consequences?"

Hermione attempted to grin deviously.

"You have to accompany me to the apothecary to get the ingredients for this potion I so desperately need."

Malfoy faked a wince, like it was the most horrible thing he could possibly have to do.

"I suppose I could go with that." The smile stretching across his face betrayed the fake annoyance in his voice.

"Good, because you HAVE to." Hermione said as she walked up to the register to pay.

"Very Slytherin of you, Granger." Malfoy smirked

Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled secretly when her back was turned to him.

About an hour later, Hermione and Malfoy came stumbling out of the apothecary holding their sides. They were laughing uncontrollably, and Hermione's ingredients nearly came tumbling out of her hands because she was shaking with giggles.

"Hahaha! I can't believe you slipped in it!" Hermione yelled, not caring about the people looking towards them strangely.

"That's because YOU spilled it, Granger!" He roared, more laughter erupting from the inside of his chest.

Malfoy's laughter echoed deeply, an overall pleasant sound. Hermione couldn't help but continue to laugh with him.

Their adventure in the apothecary had been an embarrassing one. Hermione could hardly hold on to the slippery ingredients required to make the potion. Malfoy had slipped in a puddle she'd accidentally made, making a fool of himself in front of the entire store. The owner had to ask the two to be quiet several times because of their overbearing laughter.

They both stayed quiet for a moment, trying to regain their breath.

"Hermione, you're not too bad." Malfoy admitted when he caught his breath.

"Thanks, Draco. You aren't as much as insufferable ars*e, yourself."

She caught his eye and smirked.

"Let's go get something to eat." Malfoy suggested.

"After all of that laughing, I'm sure I've burned off more calories than I care to lose."

"It's a bit surprising to see you laugh, you know. You're always so… "

"Cold? Unapproachable?" Malfoy prompted.

Hermione chuckled.

"Yes, exactly."

"I suppose it's the Slytherin in me." He said solemnly.

"Well, let's get going. I'm so hungry, I could eat a hippogriff."

Malfoy's eyes grew wide and he looked at her like she was mad.

"What?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Hippogriffs aren't a creature I'm very fond of." He sneered.

"Oh!" Hermione began laughing again.

"It isn't funny, Granger!" He snarled.

"You're still scarred after our third year, Malfoy? That was so long ago! He didn't even terrible hurt you!"

"That bloody chicken lost me the use of my arm for about a month, Granger. Let's not forget who's the victim in this situation."

"Draco, you are positively ridiculous. I'll bet you went up to your dormitory and cried after I hit you!" Hermione teased.

Malfoy smiled a bit at this memory.

"I'd never thought I'd be able to laugh at being hit by a girl, but here's that moment."

"You had it coming." She stated.

"You know, Granger, with this hostile attitude, it surprises me you weren't a Slytherin." He  
>said approvingly.<p>

"Mudblood, remember?" She winced even when it was her using the word.

Malfoy's face turned dark.

"I'm sorry… for all of those years." He said sincerely.

Hermione managed to pull together her expression and smiled up at him. Her shining eyes conveyed happiness and made Malfoy want to smile back at her. Her happiness was almost contagious.

"Let's go eat." Hermione said, taking his arm and pulling him along the cobblestone path.

They chose a café with a sitting area filled with brightly colored umbrellas. They adorned each table and changed colors every minute. Malfoy sat down and looked at the menu while  
>Hermione adjusted her cloak.<p>

"What'll you have to drink?" A brunette waitress asked.

"Butterbeer." Hermione said without hesitation.

Malfoy thought for a moment, then said, "Firewhiskey."

Hermione smirked at this, and the waitress left.

"Really?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What? It's been a hard week!" He said defensively.

Hermione just rolled her eyes; the most common reaction to whenever Malfoy did or said something stupid.

"You could use one of those, once in a while, too." He added.

She gave him a dirty look.

"Granger, for Merlin's sake, don't be so serious. And besides, with the workload you've got, you deserve some time to yourself. A little pick-me up couldn't hurt."

The waitress arrived at their table and levitated their drinks onto it nicely.

"What would you like to eat? The special for the day is steak and kidney pie."

Malfoy grimaced.

"Actually, I'll pass on that. Just a turkey sandwich."

"I'll have the same." Hermione said.

The waitress summoned the sandwiches and left without a word, off to help another table. Hermione took a bite of her sandwich, looking up at the umbrella on their table. She really was astounded by magic. She almost couldn't believe it was a part of her life.

"Granger, you know something?" Malfoy said suddenly.

"What, Draco?"

"I used to tease you mercilessly in school, but I think it's because – well, I envied you, Hermione."

"YOU envied ME?" she said in disbelief.

"You seemed to have real friendships that weren't built on the premise of control or galleons." He said, a little too quietly.

"But Crabbe and Goyle -"

Malfoy winced at the mention of Crabbe. He still hadn't completely gotten over his friends' death.

"I'm not talking about them, Granger. I mean - " He hesitated, at a loss for words.

"Granger, the Slytherins would always talk about what a know – it – all you were, but the others…. They all looked up to you. You were a loyal friend, obviously. I don't care for Potter or Weasley, but they trail after you like dogs. It's a little pathetic." He looked into her eyes, as if he were trying to figure her out.

Hermione laughed.

"I never thought that anyone looked up to me. They all mocked me, quite mercilessly, actually." She smirked.

"Granger, your hand shot up every time a teacher asked a question, of course they'd tease you a bit. But you had real friends. Merlin, Hermione. What I wouldn't have done to been in your position. I grew up with a family of extremely strict pure-bloods. Nearly everyone feared us, my father mostly. That's the only reason people wanted to befriend me."

Hermione didn't know what to say. She never thought she'd hear anything of this sort come from his mouth. She touched his hand.

"I'm sorry you didn't grow up in the er- best environment. I know it's been hard on you, and  
>it's not your fault. We can't pick our parents, Draco."<p>

He didn't pull his hand away this time, but left it. Hermione's soft skin made Draco's feel ten  
>degrees hotter. He cleared his throat.<p>

"Well, I can honestly say, you're a great friend, Hermione."

"MERLIN'S PANTS!" Hermione screeched.

Malfoy looked startled.

"What is it?"

"I told Harry I'd be at the burrow for lunch, he'll be furious!"

"He controls where you go? Blimey, Granger. I thought you'd have a bit of a longer leash than that. Do both of your boyfriends get this upset whenever you aren't with them?" He sneered, the end of his sentence a bit harsher than he'd meant for it to sound.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"They're good people. And for the record, neither one of them is my boyfriend."

"Bet they'd like that, wouldn't they, though?" Malfoy muttered under his voice.

"What was that?" Hermione demanded.

"Nothing at all." Malfoy smirked.

They finished their lunch, and Hermione checked her watch.

"Hel|, they're going to murder me!" she groaned.

"Bet they'll be even more angry when they find out you were with me, huh?" Malfoy sounded hopeful.

"Draco, we aren't looking for trouble here." Hermione hit him on the arm.

"Let's get a move on, I need to ask Harry something, anyways."

Malfoy sighed, took her arm, and they disapparated.


	22. Chapter 22

Update - I am out of the shower, and I've finished the next part. I have to edit it a bit, but I'm just telling you guys so you don't freak out XD

Edit - Here :)

Hermione was nearly shoved to the ground by Malfoy when they arrived at her flat. He threw her a sheepish look.

"Sorry." He said, extending his hand to help her out.

"S'ok."

He looked at her awkwardly, as if he were trying to say something but couldn't quite formulate the words.

"Grang-"

"It was fun." She cut in, smiling.

A look of relief spread across his face.

"We should do this again when we have another day off." She said hopefully.

He nodded, trying to conceal his excitement.

"Well, I'd best be off to the burrow… they're going to wonder where I am." Hermione said miserably, hating to think of the wrath that would be unleashed upon her when she arrived.

"Just tell them where you were, I'd love to see Potter try to do something about it. As for  
>Weasley, well, maybe I'll get a little bit of a stutter out of him." Malfoy sneered.<p>

Hermione swatted his arm with her book, giving him a stern look.

"Draco, don't you try to start anything, now."

He scowled and looked away.

"Don't know why you always have to come to Potter's rescue." He said Harry's name with outright distaste, a vindictive gleam appearing in his eye.

"What do you STILL have against Harry? Honestly, Draco, after all these years I'd have  
>expected you to grow up a little."<p>

He snapped his head back to her.

"Not to be rude, Hermione, but you honestly don't know how much that damned half-blood has cost me."

Hermione didn't say anything. Malfoy sighed and looked up at her.

"Sorry – he's your friend. I get it."

"Well, Draco, you're my friend now, too. So don't think I wouldn't stick up for you if Harry and Ron said something, because I would." A defiant look crossed her face when she said the words.

A newfound confidence was budding inside of her. If she could stand up to Draco Malfoy, surely she could stand up to her own friends if they got out of hand. Hermione reached out for Malfoy's hand and touched it gently. He jumped a bit at the contact, not expecting it. Her amber eyes were filled with joy. Malfoy felt like smiling at her, just because he knew that HE was the one to make that emotion appear.

"Well, you'd better go. Your bodyguard boyfriends will be wondering where you are."

He hesitated for disapparating. Hermione was turning to go inside of her flat. He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her and spun her around to face him. He put his arms around her waist and held her, trying to squeeze as much as he could out of the moment.

"Er, Draco?" Hermione's muffled voice came.

"Sorry." He laughed nervously and let her go.

"See you at work, Granger."

Hermione smiled and waved.

"I'll see you."

Before he disapparated, Hermione swore she could see an ear-to-ear grin playing at his face. She shook her head fondly and walked into her flat, trying to find her wand. She hoped that  
>Harry would still be at the burrow and that he wouldn't be completely angry with her. Hermione looked around her sitting room, realizing how small her flat was. The sofa was cramped into it, and the kitchen was in the same room, roughly the size of a doll house kitchen. Hermione groaned. She knew that it was getting to small, but she didn't want to move until she was completely secure in her job.<p>

She thought of the family she wanted to have, and frowned a bit. She hadn't really dated at all after she'd left Hogwarts. The only men in her life were Ron and Harry, and Hermione shuddered at the thought of dating either one of them. Harry was dating Ginny, anyways. At the rate she was going, Hermione figured she'd be alone forever.

She pulled herself from her slightly depressing thoughts and looked at herself in the mirror.  
>Her hair was still straight from that morning, so she grabbed her wand and cloak, walked out of her flat, and disapparated to the burrow.<p>

Nightfall was already pushing the sun out of its peak as Hermione arrived. She groaned when she saw that it was already five o'clock.

"Merlin's blouse!" she complained.

Before she could knock on the door, a very frustrated Harry was bursting through it. He was cursing under his breath and his face was full of annoyance.

"Harry?" Hermoine asked timidly.

He turned around, startled that someone else was out there besides him.

"Oh, it's you." He glowered at her.

Hermione felt her face grow hot. She didn't like it when Harry was upset with her, especially when she knew it was her fault.

"I'm s-s-s-sorry…" she stuttered, sounding pathetic and upset.

Harry glanced over at her. His eyes were narrowed and wild with rage.

"What are you sorry for?"

Hermione cast him a puzzled look.

"I was supposed to meet you for lunch."

Harry turned completely toward her and attempted a smile.

"It's fine, Hermione. That's not what I'm so – angered about." He huffed in frustration to accentuate his dilemma.

Hermione sat down on a step and patted the spot next to her.

"You know I'm here to help." She chirped, smiling invitingly.

Harry contemplated her offer, then sat down hesitantly next to her.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" she asked, trying to make him smile.

It didn't work. He was silent for a moment, looking up at the sky.

"It's… it's with Ginny. I don't think - " he seemed to be having trouble with his word choice.

"Spit it out." Hermione said, her tone growing alarmed.

Things always went at ease with Ginny, and she didn't like the look on Harry's face when he said her name. It was almost as if he'd wished Ginny weren't a part of the situation.

"She's great." He started, trying to appease Hermione, knowing that she was one of Ginny's best friends.

"It's just… It doesn't seem like she's the ONE for me, you know?" He looked over to her, his expression half crazed and half painful.

Hermione sighed.

"Harry, what's the problem? You've loved her since our sixth year. I don't see why that's changing so suddenly."

He looked at a loss for words.

"Harry, any problem you two have CAN and WILL be worked out. Why don't you talk to her?  
>She's been asking me every time I come over if I've noticed something different about you.<br>She's worried, Harry."

Harry took off his glasses and pulled at the tape, thinking about what he was going to do. Hermione put a consoling arm around him.

"Look, you are my best friend, Harry. I don't like seeing you torn up about this. Why don't  
>you just talk to her and work it out?"<p>

"Hermione, it's not a matter of 'working it out'. " Harry said indignantly.

His expression was still marred with the same frustrated expression, almost contorted.

"I'll just sleep it off, I s'pose." He muttered.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Harry.

"Where were you, anyways?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I - er, I was just walking around Diagon Alley and I lost track of time." She mumbled, flustered.

"That sounds like fun, did you go with anyone?" He asked curiously.

"Well, I went with - "

The door flew open and nearly hit Hermione in the back of the head. Mrs. Weasley came out, looking as if she were trying to find someone.

"AH! Harry!" she said, turning around.

"We need you inside – there are some Cornish pixies terrorizing the house. We discovered that they were living in our attic a moment ago, and well -" she saw Hermione's stunned expression.

"Hermione! We missed you at lunch! Could you offer any assistance? You are the brightest witch I know, that's for sure."

"Certainly, Mrs. Weasley, I'd love to." She smiled at her and stood up.

Harry was retreating back into the house before Hermione could say anything.

"Well, keep your knickers on, it's about to get rough." Mrs. Weasley warned.

Hermione followed Mrs. Weasley inside, thankful that she didn't have to tell Harry she'd went with Malfoy. He was already having a bad enough day. She couldn't help but wonder why he was having problems with Ginny. She marched to her doom, sighing at the thought of trying to get rid of a hoard of Cornish pixies. 


	23. Chapter 23

Hermione never got a chance to talk to Harry after the Cornish pixie incident. Getting rid of them had been torture. They'd destroyed the entire sitting room, causing damage that would take hours to repair by wand alone. Hermione had done most of the clearing, because no one else knew the curses necessary to do so. Mrs. Weasley was nearly in tears by the end of it all. Hermione's straight hair had gathered into a tangled rat's nest on the top of her head. She sighed and reminded herself to make the hair potions when she got home.

Ginny was sulking, and Hermione had a pretty good idea of why. She wasn't sure if talking to her and offering advice would just make it worse. She was stewing over what Harry said about Ginny not being the "one". Hermione's concern over other people's relationships, especially Harry's and Ginny's, was a tad unjustified. She felt like she needed to act as the adhesive, and she wasn't sure why. She told herself on many occasions to focus on her own  
>life, but she wanted everyone else to be happy or she wasn't happy.<p>

"'Mione?" Ron asked.

"Yes, Ronald?" Hermione asked, a bit more harshly than necessary.

She despised being interrupted from her thoughts. Ron looked as if he wished he'd never  
>said anything, red coloring on his ears and cheeks.<p>

"Where were you today at lunch?"

"It's none of your business." She snapped.

Ron's face got even redder, if that was physically possible.

"I was just asking. You DID tell Harry you'd be here." He mumbled bitterly.

"When was that ever YOUR concern?"

"It was just a question, Hermione."

Hermione didn't know why she felt the need to be so secretive about it. She knew it'd get under Ron's skin if he knew it was Malfoy. It would get under his skin if it was ANY guy, to be quite honest.

"I was at lunch with a friend, if you must know."

Ron got a dumb look on his face. He assumed that Harry and him were the only friends  
>Hermione had, which was usually the case, but it offended Hermione a bit.<p>

"I DO have other friends, you know!"

"Who was it?" Ron pressed.

"It was a friend, and that's all you're getting out of me." She walked away from him, wanting nothing more than to avoid his questions. "

She thanked Mrs. Weasley for having her over after assuring her that the Cornish pixies were no problem, and it was her pleasure to help get rid of them. It was nine o' clock when she disapparated, but she felt as if it was nearly three in the morning. It had been a long day, after all. She decided to ask Ginny how she was when she went over to the burrow for dinner the next evening.

Before she dressed for bed, she reminisced about her day with Malfoy. She hated that she'd enjoyed it so much, but he had as much fun as she did. It surprised her that he even asked. She felt herself picturing his stormy grey eyes, the epitome of his emotional conveyances.  
>She couldn't help but picture the way his lips moved when he said her last name. Even though he was having trouble adjusting to calling her "Hermione", it was a step up from "mudblood". She didn't feel as worthless as before when she was around him. She couldn't force herself to hate him anymore, even though he did ignite a bit of a bite in her when he said the wrong thing.<p>

She laid down in her bed, still running through her day. She felt exhausted, but not tired. She couldn't bring herself to fall asleep after the day she had. She wanted to remember it more while it was fresh, not wanting it to fade away before she could revel in it. She felt herself smiling when she thought about it, which scared her a little more than it should have. With the last memory of Malfoy hugging her, she smiled and drifted into sleep.

Hermione's morning routine was the same as always. She got up, made her breakfast, and got ready for work. It was a bit different that day; usually Hermione did this without much enthusiasm. That morning, she was glowing, still happy from the memories of her day with Malfoy. She wanted to scold herself for still thinking about the wretched ferret, but she couldn't bring herself to. She hummed tunelessly as she picked out a nice black dress that hugged her curves, wanting to look nice that morning. She decided to leave her hair in its usual curls; she never got around to making the hair potions.

Though it was a cold and wet day, Hermione felt a rush as she walked out of her flat to disapparate. She was closing her door when she felt like she was being watched. A gust of wind rushed and tugged at the edges of her dress, still a little apprehensive.

"You're just being paranoid…" She said aloud.

"Going a bit mad, Granger?" A voice drawled.

"No, no - " she looked up, embarrassed that she'd answered the voice.

Malfoy stood in front of her wearing his Slytherin smirk.

"Draco! What are you doing here?" she said, a little shaky from him scaring her a bit.

"Isn't it obvious? I decided to escort you to work today."

Hermione tried to suppress a smile, but it didn't work. Malfoy attempted to sneer.

"Merlin, Granger, you don't have to act so bloody happy."

She ignored him.

"Let's go, I think that Kendrina is going to have a lot for us to do today."

He nodded, grasped her arm, and they were off.


	24. Chapter 24

The Ministry was crowded once again as Malfoy and Hermione wove through mobs of witches and wizards, attempting to keep close to one another. It was very loud and chaotic, and it hurt Hermione's ears.

She exhaled in frustration.

"Where the bloody HE|| is Kendrina?" she shouted over the voices.

Malfoy squinted his eyes and cupped his hand to his ear, demonstrating that he couldn't hear her.

"WHERE IS KENDRINA?" She screamed in an ear-splitting shriek.  
>Malfoy winced.<p>

"Merlin, Granger! You didn't have to puncture my ear drums! And do I look like I would  
>know? I got here with YOU!"<p>

Hermione rolled her eyes and continued walking, His Slytherin arrogance presented itself at times she was most annoyed.

"Granger, Malfoy." A cold voice greeted both of them as they stopped in their tracks.

Kendrina was glaring at them with an agitated expression. She was obviously not in the mood for back talk that morning, so Malfoy kept his mouth shut.

"We need you to fill out some paperwork - "

She paused when they both groaned. Paperwork followed her everywhere; it was inescapable for her.

"OR you have the option of being kicked off of the case – Your choice." She gave them a look that would've given Mcgonnogall a run for her money.

"You'll be working with Potter and Weasley today – the paperwork haul is quite large."

A pained look played at Malfoy's features, and he grimaced at the thought of working with the ginger and famous Potter. Hermione's expression was calm and collected, but beneath the outer layer lurked worry and nervousness. She didn't want Malfoy, Ron and Harry in the same room. It'd be a complete catastrophe.

"Good. You understand. The paperwork will be delivered to Potter's office momentarily. You'll work there for today. He's already with Weasley." She nodded curtly and walked off, leaving  
>Hermione and Malfoy staring at each other with their mouths gaping open like goldfish.<p>

After a moment, the silence became uncomfortable. Malfoy cleared his throat.

"What are we going to do about this, Granger?" He asked, his voice a bit acidic.

"We're going to do what we're told. Just don't say anything to them, and they won't say anything to you. We're adults, like Kendrina said. Just don't make an ar*se of yourself by provoking a fight."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed in offense.

"ME?"

"Draco, honestly. You're the one who instigates most of it – you can't deny that." She said when he shot her a look of protest.

He sighed.

"Let's go and get this over with."

Hermione briskly walked to Harry's office with Malfoy following along, sulking. The door was open, and Hermione could hear distinct whispering. Ron was with him, but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. She got closer and pressed her finger to her lips to signal  
>Malfoy not to say anything.<p>

" - I'm going to murder him if he doesn't leave Hermione alone." Ron said.

"I'm with you. Pureblood prat." Harry muttered indignantly.

Hermione knew they felt that way, but they didn't have to be so over protective. It angered her that they thought she couldn't take care of herself. It also angered her that they assumed Malfoy was being rude. Well, he was a lot of the time, but he was getting better.  
>She huffed and took a large step toward the door.<p>

"Hello, boys." She said conversationally and walked in.

Malfoy followed her, scowling. Ron stood up from where he sat and felt around in his robes for his wand.

"RONALD!" Hermione shouted.

He went red in the face, threw Malfoy a look of disgust, and sat back down.

"What are YOU doing here, Malfoy?" Harry asked darkly.

Malfoy smirked.

"I'm here to help YOU, Potter. We've been grouped up for paperwork today." He spat.

"I don't need YOUR kind of help, Malfoy."

"Honestly, just shut up both of you." Hermione demanded.

They both looked up at her, surprised that she said anything. Malfoy scowled again, and  
>Harry glowered at him.<p>

"Who was this decided by?" Ron piped up.

"Your boss. Your very agitated boss." Hermione said in a warning tone.

That seemed to shut Ron up.

"Hermione, I'm sorry you have to put up with … that." Harry said.

"It's really a shame you couldn't just join up with Ron and me."

Malfoy scoffed.

"You're sorry she has to put up with me? IF I remember correctly, Potter, Granger is the know-it-all YOU grew tired of at Hogwarts."

Hermione couldn't help but feel stung by his comment. She looked away from him. She felt arms wrapping around her from behind, and she realized Harry had gotten up to hug her briefly.

"Hermione never got on my nerves. You're just angry she's smarter than you." He said as he released her. "You're brilliant, Hermione. No need to listen to those whose opinion doesn't matter."

Malfoy was looking at Harry with a new kind of rage. He hadn't been as peeved by Harry's words, but more so by his actions. It sent his blood boiling when he'd touched Hermione. He clenched his fists and felt his knuckles crack with the tension.

"Do me a favor and shut it, Potter. You don't want to know my REAL opinions." He said icily.

"Oh, shove off, Malfoy." Ron jumped in.

Malfoy cast a dark glare at Ron, leaving him speechless. Hermione didn't know if she could take much more.

"Ms. Granger?" A scrawny wizard with curly hair was walking into the room while clutching a  
>large stack of papers.<p>

Hermione moaned in frustration.

"Yes, that's me."

She took the stack and nearly stumbled over. It was heavier than she'd imagined.

"Let's get this started. There's too much to put it off."

She divided the stack of papers into four sections, giving Ron, Malfoy, and Harry the smaller stacks. She pulled the bigger stack towards herself and began filling out the first page. It was mostly review on the department, making sure everything ran smoothly. It was painfully tedious and unsatisfying, but it had to be done. The four began scratching letters onto the parchment, avoiding conversation so they wouldn't have to waste energy for the inevitable insults they'd formulate.

After an hour of the paperwork, Ron had stopped and began absently summoning paperclips with his wand. Harry was still working, but at the pace of a snail. Hermione'd almost finished her stack. Malfoy's grip on the quill was tighter than an iron vice, his letters coming out jagged and harsh. He'd only made it through half of his papers.

Malfoy needed to collect his thoughts; Harry had gotten to him a bit more than he should've earlier. He told himself that it was just the anger of the arrogance Potter had. Malfoy stood  
>up, slammed his quill down and strode towards the large door, heading briskly for some fresh air.<p>

"I'll be back in ten minutes." He muttered before he left.

Harry scowled after him.

"Laziness." He said angrily.

Hermione put down her quill. Harry and Ron were beginning to dance on her last nerve. She was getting sick of them having something rude to say whenever Malfoy talked or was around them.

"Harry James Potter. I am astounded at you. I figured you'd be able to contain yourself for  
>ONE day!" Hermione nearly shouted.<p>

He looked startled.

"Wha-?"

Hermione stared him down indignantly.

"You know perfectly well what."

"Hermione, it's MALFOY, for Merlin's sake." Ron cut in.

She snapped towards him, seething.

"Ronald, I don't care if he's the bloody Minister! You are BOTH being ridiculous! You don't HAVE to like him, no one is ASKING you to, but you don't need to pick fights with him!"

Ron stared back at her, astounded. Harry looked up at her.

"None of you three may take the case seriously, but I DO."

She walked out of the room, leaving Harry and Ron speechless. She was getting so sick of all of the fighting, and she needed to be alone for a moment. She stormed through the corridors quickly. She turned the corner and was shocked to see Malfoy there. He looked up at her, and Hermione saw that his face was twisted in pain.

Without a word, she walked closer to him, pulled him in her arms, and held him.


	25. Chapter 25

Malfoy pushed her away after a few moments, his pride a bit damaged when he needed Hermione to soothe him. He was slightly embarrassed, but cursed himself for letting her go.  
>He liked it when she hugged him like that. It made him feel whole, for some reason he couldn't explain.<p>

Hermione was a bit disappointed when he pulled away, but she knew it was something he'd do. She just shook it off and tried to not let it get to her. She analyzed his face. Surely it wasn't the fight with Ron and Harry that made him look in agony like this. He always had some snarky comment to say, and it didn't change over the years.

He turned his head from her, not wanting her to see him like this. He cleared his throat, a funny noise coming from the inside of it.

"Go ahead back. I need some time alone for a moment." He demanded in a weak voice.

She just nodded, giving him a look of concern before she walked away.

"I'll be fine." He said in a harder, firmer voice.

She walked down the corridor and back to Harry's office, fuming at how tactless her friends could be sometimes. They had no reason to go at Malfoy like that. Hermione thought about how she'd defended him, and remembered the conversation they had in Diagon Alley.

/"Sorry – he's your friend. I get it."

"Well, Draco, you're my friend now, too. So don't think I wouldn't stick up for you if Harry and Ron said something, because I would."/

She remained true to her word. Though annoying and arrogant as Draco was, he wasn't entirely bad. Hermione's thoughts lingered on him every day after she got back from work, she'd even dreamed about him. He was growing on her, maybe a bit more than she'd care to admit. She knew one thing for certain : She was going to give Harry and Ron a stern talking-to when she got back. She knew it sounded much like a parent and a misbehaving child, but with Ron and Harry, they were EXACTLY like misbehaving children. They were childish and never quite knew when to keep their mouths shut.

She turned the corner to his office angrily, not bothering to knock when she opened the door.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

She slammed the door shut loudly, so her screams would be muffled by it. She cast a non-verbal silencing charm on it to ensure a maximum sound barrier.

Ron and Harry jumped out of their chairs, their faces growing startled and nervous.  
>Hermione clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.<p>

"WHAT is your PROBLEM?" she yelled.

"Hermione, what is YOUR problem?" Harry said, his voice rising as he stood up.

Hermione hadn't expected him to retaliate.

"Wha- what do you mean?"

Harry's face grew angry.

"Ron, leave the room. I need to talk to Hermione alone for a moment."

Ron didn't protest, he just threw Hermione a reproachful look, a bit sympathetic to her. He walked out without another word, looking relieved to get away from all of the screaming.  
>When Harry saw that the flaming red hair had finally disappeared, he began again.<p>

"HE is the ENEMY, HERMIONE! Haven't you realized that? He's called you a mudblood every chance you get, YET YOU STICK UP FOR HIS SORRY AR*SE!"

"WHATEVER GRUDGE that you STILL have from school is ridiculous! He is your COLLEAGUE!  
>You need to treat your colleagues with respect, not JUMP ON THEIR BACKS every bloody chance you GET!" Hermione protested.<p>

Harry's eyes narrowed to slits, and he looked genuinely angry with Hermione.

"Hermione, he is NOT your friend. I don't know WHAT he said to you to make you think he's a decent human being, but it ISN'T true. He's one of the scummiest people to walk the face of a planet; he used to be a bloody DEATH EATER!"

Hermione felt her blood boiling.

"SNAPE used to be a death eater! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID FOR YOU?"

Harry seemed at a loss for words.

"T-that's beside the point!" He choked out.

"NO, it ISN'T, Harry! People CAN change!"

"So you stick up for him and not for Ron and me? Honestly, Hermione, you're not acting as smart as you seem!"

"WHAT exactly is this about, Harry? I HAVE to get along with him, or I get kicked off the case I've been WAITING for for YEARS! Do you have ANY idea what this means to me? You're being so SELFISH, HARRY!" She screamed, her voice rising a few octaves.

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but shut it.

"Harry, you're my BEST friend. You can't get mad at me for wanting you to GET ALONG with my colleague! YOUR colleague! I NEVER ask you for anything! The least you could do is be DECENT. Be the BIGGER PERSON! He didn't even SAY anything to you! You started it!"

Harry stayed silent for a few moments. He sighed.

"This really means a lot to you, doesn't it?" His tone was no longer angry, but sympathetic.

Hermione strode over to him.

"It does." She whispered.

He looked up at her, his green eyes meeting her large amber ones.

"For YOU, Hermione. Not for him." He stated with defiance.

A smile spread across Hermione's face. Harry couldn't help but smile back. Like Malfoy, he found her happiness contagious. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, savoring the moment. She pulled back, and he frowned a bit.

"You're really a good friend, Harry."

The smile remained on her face, like it'd been carved on. Harry stared at her face, marveling  
>at her pale-pink bow shaped lips. They weren't too thin, but they didn't take up her entire face. She really had gotten beautiful. She'd gained curves, no longer the shapeless girl she'd been in school. He was mesmerized for a moment before Hermione interrupted his thoughts.<p>

"Harry? What are you looking at?" She said, smile still on her face.

She looked a bit confused, and slightly frightened. Harry hadn't realized how long he'd zoned out. He could look at Hermione all day.

"Sorry, just thinking." He muttered.

"I'm going to go look for Malfoy so we can get this wretched paperwork over with. Honestly, I'd like to be home before tomorrow morning."

Harry nodded in agreement and looked at her as she walked off. He sat at his desk and put his face in his hands, groaning. She'd never look at him the same way he looked at her.

"Draco? Are you over here?" Hermione's voice called from a distance.

Malfoy snapped his head up, wincing at the sudden movement. He saw her walking down the corridor. She looked a bit flustered, probably from an argument with her boyfriends. Malfoy sneered at the thought, trying to quickly banish it from his mind. He could care less about  
>Potter or Weasley, at least that's what he tried to convince himself. It was more of an envy, knowing he'd never truly be as good a friend as either of them. He wasn't even sure it was<br>FRIENDSHIP that he wanted. No, that was a lie. He KNEW, even desired, that there would be something more.

"WAKE up, Draco." He thought.

"She's a filthy mudblood, NOT the ideal choice." Even as he thought the word in his mind, it made him cringe. He didn't like calling her that. It was painful for him, even though he never gave it a second thought when he'd used it in school.

"Draco! There you are. Look, we need to get back to his office and finish papers. I don't want to be here all night." Hermione said, a jovial expression on her face as she finished her sentence.

It was odd that she was able to joke around him this much. The Malfoy inside of him smiled, even though it didn't show on his face.

"You sure Potter won't get offended if I walk into his office?" Malfoy sneered.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Come on. I talked to him about it. He'll keep the rude comments to a minimum, if you agree to do the same." She held out her hand to help him up.

He took it, looking away from her face.

"Let's go. It's almost noon, and I don't want to starve. We need to finish, first."

She pulled him up with as much force as she could muster.

"Honestly, Granger. You're probably the weakest, most delicate thing I've ever laid eyes on."  
>He snorted.<p>

She looked at him with mock anger. She let go and he stumbled.

"Then you don't need my help." She gave him a smirk worthy of Salazar Slytherin himself, and Malfoy would've shown how impressed he was had she not just made him lose his balance.

"Granger, if this case lasts much longer, you'll be a Slytherin in no time."

She looked back at him, her expression filled with disgust.

"How dare you! I'm a Gryffindor through and through!" She shrieked."

"You LONG to be as bad as the rest of us, I know it." He teased.

Hermione scoffed.

"I actually avoid that, thank you very much."

"Goody Gryffindor." He muttered.

"WHAT?" she turned to face him.

Bloody he||, she had ears like a hippogriff.

"Nothing." He smiled darkly.

They reached Harry's office about two minutes later. Malfoy was sneering at the door.  
>Hermione shook her head in exasperation.<p>

"Just go in, he won't say anything!" She said in frustration.

He looked at her with truth in his eyes.

"I know that. But I'm not promising that I wont'." He stated plainly.

"Just go in, do the paper work, and it will all be over with."

He groaned and reached for the doorknob. Hermione slide over the door to stop him. She looked at him and took his hand.

"You can DO this." She smiled.

He tried his best to grimace, but couldn't as long as she was smiling. He tried to open the door, but she wrapped her arms around him tightly and attempted to pick him up.

"G-granger!" he choked out, taken by surprise.

Though she couldn't pick him up, she hugged him tightly and smiled up at him.

"THAT is what you needed. Come on, friend."

She opened the door and skipped in, a very un-Hermione like thing to do. He shook his head and followed her, ignoring the stares from Potter and Weasley.

"Ok, let's get this started!" Hermione chirped, contrasting the dark expressions everyone else was wearing.

She plopped down in her chair and pulled the remaining work she had towards her briskly.  
>The three men exchanged a curious look, then decided to follow her example. Malfoy looked at her stack, realizing she was nearing completion.<p>

"Hermione! Merlin, how fast do you write?" He asked in astonishment.

Harry looked up at Malfoy with wide eyes. He'd never ONCE heard him use her actual name before. It pleased Hermione that he was getting used to the idea of calling her by her name.  
>She liked the way he said it, his voice deep and attractive.<p>

"So, he's treating you like a person, now, is he?" Harry said quietly enough so that only Hermione could hear him.

She shot him a dirty look before responding to Malfoy.

"I'm almost done. I guess I've just grown used to it after all these years." She gave him a thoughtful look.

All Malfoy could do was look amazed. Hermione hadn't really thought about it much; it was a part of daily routine. She shrugged and got back to work, scribbling furiously. Harry stared at Malfoy, deciding if he really HAD changed. Malfoy looked up, throwing him a menacing glare.  
>Harry returned it before bending back over his own share of work. Even if he DID change, he was still the pathetic waste of space to Harry.<p>

~

After twenty minutes had passed, all of Hermione's work was complete. She sat and looked at the men, who were all wearing the same frustrated look. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Are you ENJOYING our pain, 'Mione?" Harry teased in mock aggression.

Malfoy winced a bit when he heard Harry use her nickname. He knew that if HE ever called  
>her that, all he'd get was a funny look and maybe a slap across the face.<p>

She nodded, her eyes twinkling.

"Now you know how it feels."

She laughed.

"I'll go make us some tea."

She stood up and left the room, leaving a dangerous combination behind her. The moment she left, Harry turned towards Malfoy.

"So it's 'Hermione', now is it?" He asked rudely.

"What's it to you, Potter? Jealous that your girlfriend's on a first name basis with your enemy?" He sneered mockingly.

Harry felt all of the pent up aggression he had show on his face.

"Jealous that she actually likes us two, ferret?"

Malfoy seethed.

"Jealous?" he snorted.

"I'd never be jealous of a loser like you, Potter. And Weasley? Come on. You can't be serious."

Harry laughed harshly.

"She isn't around to protect you now, is she? You're really lucky she was here to defend you, earlier, or I might've snapped your neck in two. WITHOUT cursing you while your back was turned."

Malfoy looked shocked. Granger defended him? He wouldn't have believed it if someone else hadn't said so. Even from Potter, it was believable. She truly did mean what she said. He said nothing, still stewing over what Potter said.

Hermione danced back into the room, holding a full pot of tea and levitating tea cups close to her. She flew them over to the desk, and magicked the tea pot to pour them all a cup. She smiled at everyone.

"Aren't I just the best friend you could ever ask for?"

Harry and Ron beamed at her. Malfoy was still thinking about her, not focusing on what she was saying.

"Merlin, 'Mione! Thanks!" Harry roared, taking a cup and levitating sugar to pour in it.

She nodded and sat down with her arms crossed.

"Are you going to have any, Draco?" She asked.

Harry whipped his head in her direction.

"So it's 'Draco' to you, now?" He asked her the same question he'd asked Malfoy.

Harry didn't know why, but it sent his blood boiling when she said his name.

"We decided it was best to act nicely towards one another. We are friends, now. Not that it's your business, Harry." She shot him a warning look.

He clenched his fists and turned towards his tea. Who did Malfoy think he was, trying to be friends with Hermione? Harry angrily scooped the sugar into his tea, slamming the spoon in the bowl hardly. Ron was wearing an angry expression and glaring at the back of Malfoy's head.

Malfoy grinned with satisfaction when Hermione said his name around Ron and Harry. He knew it would get under their skin. He also liked the way it rolled off of her perfect lips, the melodious, harmonic sound echoing in his ears.

"Thanks, Hermione." He said where Harry and Ron couldn't hear him.

He supposed they'd both had enough for the day, and quite frankly, he was running out of insults. He could only use "ginger" every so often before it got old. Hermione's returning smile brought one to Malfoy's face, and he returned to his paperwork, not thinking it was so bad if Hermione was there.


	26. Chapter 26

Guys, this chapter is a bit short, but I'm posting more later tonight, and it'll be about three thousand words. This one was about three pages in Microsoft word.

Reviews are welcome

After slaving over their paperwork for an hour, the boys finished their stacks at last. Hermione was absently levitating things across the room out of boredom. She felt a twinge of satisfaction knowing that she'd finished before the boys. She felt a bit more important. Harry and Ron always got to go and capture dark wizards, and Hermione was stuck on the sidelines. It made her confident knowing that at least she could do SOMETHING better than them.

"Oh, Merlin!" Ron exclaimed, flexing his fingers and cringing when he cracked them.

Harry looked just as much in pain as Ron did. The corners of Hermione's mouth twitched when she looked at them. Malfoy said nothing, he just stacked his papers and set down his quill.

"I dunno if I'll ever gain function in my hand ever again." Harry groaned.

"'Mione, if this is what you put up with every day, I have a newfound respect for you." Ron saluted her with his hand.

Malfoy couldn't help but wince when Ron called her that. He felt like less of a person to  
>Hermione. He glared at the desk.<p>

"Problem, Pureblood?" Harry asked in an acidic tone.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes.

"Shove off, scarhead." He said quietly enough for only Harry to hear him.

Harry shot him a rude look and flung his quill down.

"Now that we're done, I'm going to ask Kendrina if we can just go home." Hermione said, standing up to leave.

"Wait!" Malfoy suddenly shouted.

Hermione got a startled look on her face.

"Y-yes?"

He stood up and walked over to her.

"I'll go with you."

Hermione chuckled. It was probably for the best that he went. She didn't feel entirely comfortable leaving him with Harry and Ron, especially with Harry. He followed her out of the room silently, not looking back. He couldn't help but look at the way Hermione gracefully moved as she walked. Her legs seemed to go on for miles, and her tiny waist swayed a bit  
>from side to side with each step. He was almost mesmerized.<p>

He didn't notice when she had stopped walking. He nearly ran into her.

"Ms. Harwick?" Hermione asked timidly to a woman with her back turned.

She turned around, looking slightly angry.

"What is it, Granger?"

"We've finished the paperwork." Hermione said, almost looking sorry that she'd even said anything.

A surprised look crossed Kendrina's face and she smirked.

"You finished all of that in the span of a few hours?" She asked dubiously.

Hermione nodded, obviously nervous to be talking to her.

"Very well. That's all I needed you to do, today. You may leave. Oh, and tell Potter and  
>Weasley to meet me in my office. I've something to discuss with them."<p>

Hermione nodded again, and walked away, pulling Malfoy with her.

"Thank Merlin THAT is over." She huffed.

Malfoy got an amused look on his face.

"Does SHE scare you, Granger?"

Hermione chewed her lip.

"Well, I don't like to have to talk to her if I can avoid it."

Malfoy laughed.

"Granger, you've gotten a lot more feisty since Hogwarts. You'd think you wouldn't let your boss walk over you."

Hermione scowled.

"I just like my job and would like to keep it."

They arrived at the office and Hermione walked in.

"Ron, Harry, Kendrina needs you."

Harry stood up and scowled.

"Ugh, what now? For Merlin's sake." He muttered.

"Well, I guess we'll see you for dinner at the burrow, 'Mione." Ron said.

Draco grimaced. There was that little nickname again… When Harry and Ron left the room,  
>Malfoy turned to Hermione.<p>

"Fancy a butterbeer?"


	27. Chapter 27

"Are you asking me out on a date, Draco?" Hermione teased.

Malfoy sputtered.

"Calm down, Draco. It was a joke. Let's go." Hermione snickered.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her until they got outside. She laughed as they disapparated. They were flung onto the cobblestone streets of London a few moments later. Malfoy fell onto Hermione, knocking the wind out of her.

"Oomf!" She bellowed.

Malfoy clumsily stood up.

"Sorry, Hermione!" He nearly screamed.

She stood up, swaying a bit from lack of balance. She steadied herself and grinned goofily.

"It's ok. I'm fine." She walked into the Leaky Cauldron.

Draco hesitated. He watched her walking in, transfixed once again. It was amazing, the effect she had on him. He smiled and walked in behind her. It was déjà vu as he entered the Leaky Cauldron, memories of their last trip together flooding his mind.

It was just as musty and familiar as the last time. Malfoy took in the pub fondly. He really did feel at home here, for some reason. He looked over to the bar and saw Tom there, polishing a mug. He grinned a toothless smile at him, and Malfoy felt a bit uncomfortable. He looked away, feeling awkward.

"Come on, Draco!" Hermione said impatiently.

She was already waiting at the back, tapping her foot in a fast rhythm. Her hand was on her hip, her impatience cute to him.

"Sorry…" he muttered and jogged to her.

He smiled to himself.

"Coming." He called.

It pleased him to know that she was excited about it. He found himself grinning when her back was turned.

"Draco, come on." He scolded himself silently.

"It's Hermione bloody Granger, Goody Gryffindor." He thought.

He put on a sneer so that she wouldn't see through his carefully composed poker face. He couldn't let her see that he was looking forward to it. When he got outside, Hermione was already tapping the necessary bricks to get into Diagon Alley.

"Finally." She huffed.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Just get on with it, Granger."

The bricks rearranged to reveal the archway to the magical area. Malfoy looked at Hermione sideways, and saw a smile on her face. She was glowing with excitement, not bothering to hide it even in front of him.

"Does it ever amaze you?" She asked in a hushed voice.

Draco really never thought about it. Magic had been a part of his life since he was born. He guessed Granger still wasn't completely used to it. He couldn't imagine growing up as a muggle. The concept seemed ridiculous to him. Then again, it seemed to work for Granger.

"Not really." He replied truthfully.

She sighed.

"Well, it astonishes me. I can't believe this all exists. It's the perfect world, and I can't  
>believe I grew up without it. It saddens me a little." She frowned.<p>

Malfoy didn't like seeing the frown on her face.

"Granger, let's get out of the pity party and throw down a few butterbeers – it's been a horrible day." He suggested.

That brought a smile to her face.

"Yeah. I'm being silly. Let's go."

Malfoy took her hand in his, and he saw that it made her slightly uncomfortable.

"It's ok, we're friends. Friends can hold hands." He stated a bit shakily.

She looked up at him with her amber eyes.

"I don't mind at all."

That was an understatement. She wanted him to hold her hand. She felt his long, cool fingers lace with hers perfectly. His hand was soft, and she savored the feel of it.

"Do you want to go to the same restaurant we did before?" He asked.

"Yes, that'd be nice. BUTTERBEERS this time Malfoy, don't try to sneak in a firewhiskey."

He scoffed.

"Goody Gryffindor." He teased.

She smacked his arm with her free hand.

"Stupid Slytherin." She grinned, obviously pleased with the phrase she'd created.

"Good one." He remarked, pulling her along the street.

"I try."

~

The restaurant was particularly crowded that day, and Hermione had trouble finding seats. A man nearly shoved her down on accident as he walked past her.

"HEY, WATCH IT!" Draco shouted as Hermione stumbled.

The wizard looked sheepishly back at him and walked away, pretending he didn't hear.

"Calm down, Draco. It was an accident." Hermione mumbled.

"Let's just see if there are any seats and get this butterbeer. I am now in DESPERATE need of one."

They wove through the crowd and selected a table with a blue umbrella at it. Hermione panted as she slid into the chair, rubbing her hand.

"I'm starting to feel all of that paperwork." She moaned, massaging it.

"Granger? The paperwork MASTER?" He asked in fake shock.

Honestly, Malfoy's hand was killing him. He just didn't say anything; couldn't afford to look weak in front of Granger.

"There's a muscle potion for that, you know." He said, wanting to sound smart.

"Yes, I know. I've got some ingredients for it at home. I used to use it daily before I got on this case."

So much for impressing her with his amazing knowledge.

The waitress arrived with a worn-out expression on her face.

"What can I get you?" She asked wearily, obviously hoping they didn't have a complicated order.

"Two butterbeers." Hermione piped up before Malfoy could say anything.

Malfoy shot her a look, knowing that he couldn't order his firewhiskey now.

"Of course. Coming right up."

The waitress summoned them and levitated them onto the table. She summoned two glasses, then poured the delicious looking liquid into them.  
>Hermione licked her lips. It had been a long day, especially with having to confront Harry and Ron about Malfoy. She felt an odd, tingling sensation course through her as she thought his name. She caught herself looking at him, fixated on his stormy grey eyes. They were full of depth, much unlike the vacant expressions Ron and Harry had most of the time.<p>

The waitress left, rushing off to help another table. Hermione pulled the butterbeer to her lips, tilting it backwards and taking a long drink. Malfoy followed her example. The drink warmed him oddly. He hadn't had a butterbeer in a while. Firewhiskey was his drink of choice, but if Granger wanted him to drink the butterbeer, he would do it. (Mostly because the witch had ordered without giving him a chance)

"I'm sorry about my idiot friends." Hermione said after she'd set down her glass.

"They're a bit – ok a lot - tactless, sometimes."

Malfoy sighed.

"The blame partially rests on my shoulders. I guess I shouldn't have talked back. I probably baited them a bit." He admitted.

"They started it, Malfoy, I know that." She said in protest.

"It's over and done with now. I can't say I like Potter or Weasley, but as long as we're on the case, I'll make it a priority to stop harassing them. Besides, they can't handle my insults, anyways." He smirked as he said the last part.

"Draco, as full of yourself as you are, you're insults are about as well thought out as a two year old's." Her warm smile betrayed her words.

Malfoy pretended to be offended.

"Granger, how dare you! I take pride in my stinging insults."

"Don't quit your day job, Draco."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"I sincerely doubt that YOU could come up with something better, Granger."

"You're probably right about that." She said thoughtfully.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"So you admit to losing at something?" He asked, amusement coloring his voice.

"I suppose I am." She laughed.

"I thought I'd never see the day when GRANGER admitted to losing!" He grinned wickedly.

"Oh, shut it, Draco. You know I'm smarter than you. Just because I can't insult someone properly doesn't mean that I lose. Who would want to be good at such a thing?"

He smirked.

"I forgot who I was talking to." She muttered.

"You CAN throw a wicked punch though, Granger. I'll give you that."

A wide grin broke across her face.

"You might feel that again, Malfoy." She attempted to sound menacing.

It didn't work.

"Temper, Granger." He warned her teasingly.

She rolled her eyes and paused to take another large gulp of butterbeer.

"Granger, It's not that bad working with you, you know. You're actually a pretty decent person."

"Oh, well spotted." She said, a bit offended by his surprise in that statement.

"You know what I mean. You didn't care for me, either."

She nodded vigorously.

"You are still an ar*se, but a less rude one, now."

"Less rude… I'll take that."

"Better than being the slime bucket you were before." She smiled.

"Not something I'm proud of." His face turned dark.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two for a brief moment. Hermione saw his eyes turn an even stormier grey, as if something was bothering him.

"Granger, you know I used to be a death eater, there is no concealing that." He looked up at her, more vulnerable than he'd ever been before.

"But I wonder… do you really think I've changed?"

Hermione thought about it, seeing the pain it caused him to talk about it. She took his hand in hers.

"I KNOW you've changed. It's getting more apparent each time I see you."

His expression didn't falter. It just stayed stony and melancholy. Hermione didn't like to see him sad anymore than he liked to see her sad.

"Do you want to…talk about it?" she offered, doubting he would say yes.

He didn't speak for a moment. He brought the butterbeer up to his lips and drained the rest of his glass, hoping it would fill the void he was feeling that moment. When it didn't patch the hole, he looked up at Hermione sadly.

"I think – I think it would help if I did…" he started.

"You can tell me anything. I won't say a word to anyone. Talking with someone isn't a weakness, you know." She said kindly.

His eyes met hers, and she lost herself in them. Looking into his eyes was the key to finding out what he was feeling. Every emotion that Malfoy had lingered not on his face or body language, but in his eyes. They were deep pools of molten silver, shimmering and darkening whenever he was joyful or slightly depressed.

Hermione showed concern, wanting him to be able to confide into her as a friend.

"I just - " He was at a loss for words.

"Yes?" she muttered, looking into his eyes.

He struggled on his words.

"I just – I never could figure out what made me so…cruel." Pain flickered in his eyes as he said it.

"Draco, your parents - "

"I didn't have to listen to them." He said coldly.

"You're different, now. At least you DID change."

"He picked me, you know?" He said quietly.

"If I wasn't such a BLOODY COWARD, I would have killed Dumbledore. NOT Snape!" His teeth gnashed together and his voice rose.

"Wait, that was supposed to be you?" It was news to Hermione.

The smile on his face was almost inhuman, twisted with rage and a sick sort of pleasure.

"I was the chosen one of Voldemort. Scarhead might've been the chosen one of precious  
>Dumbledore, but I was the chosen one of the dark side."<p>

He was in agony.

"Draco…" Hermione said sadly.

"It's all my fault. It's my damn fault! I had to go and fu** everything up!" He screamed.

He wasn't used to opening up like this. Emotions weren't a good thing to show in the Malfoy household. If he so much as frowned, he was scolded. He was taught to be raised as a killer. Killers couldn't speak, they couldn't disobey, and they couldn't feel what they wanted to feel. He was part of the plan; the evil operation that he secretly wanted NOTHING to do with. Here he was, spilling his feelings to a damned MUDBLOOD, for Merlin's sake! What was wrong with  
>him? He felt better talking to her. She had this soothing effect on him.<p>

"You know it's not, so stop saying that." Hermione stated plainly.

"Granger, you don't even know the half of it." He groaned.

"You don't know me, you don't know a DAMN THING!"

He seethed for a second in his own self-hatred. He loathed himself for all of the things he'd done in the past. He'd cursed an innocent girl, nearly poisoned a professor, and almost killed the headmaster of his school. He was a terrible person. Why the he|| was Granger showing any compassion for him? What did she care? She had the perfect life. She'd been innocent of all terrible things her entire life, not learning of the horrors of the world until she had long been at Hogwarts. HE had been exposed to it his entire life, being taught not to feel or act like a normal boy. He had NO real friends, even to this day. Except for her… She was his one friend. The one who seemed to be there for him. It was funny – only after a week with her, he felt he could share his life with her. She wouldn't cast him aside like his father would. She would comfort him, unlike his mother. He sighed.

"Hermione…I'm so sorry." His voice was soft now.

Malfoy flung two galleons on the table and stood, grabbing Hermione's hand. They walked out of the shop and up the alley, where he could talk to her where they were truly alone. He pulled her between two buildings, the joke shop and the apothecary. He paced around for a moment, trying to gather his thought and work out what he was trying to say. He couldn't pull a coherent sentence together without losing himself in all of the troubling and haunting emotions he had. He knew he would lash out against her, even if it wasn't instigating what he was saying. He finally pulled himself together long enough to reassure her.

"Granger, I don't normally act like this. I don't know what's wrong with me." He struggled, choking on his words.

Hermione put a hand on his face, looking deeply into him, as if she were looking at his bare soul. It sounded so cliché, but what could he do? His feelings were out of control, and he couldn't seem to grasp the right thing to feel. She stroked it lovingly. It wasn't a forward gesture; she was…comforting him.

"Comforting a DEATH EATER! What's gone wrong with the world?" He thought menacingly.

"Draco, you're not a bad person. I know that, you know that. That's all that matters."

He looked away from her and put his face in his hands, feeling a bit hotter all of the sudden. He couldn't seem to gain control of his feelings when he was around her. He was still conflicted about talking with her. He wasn't sure about her reactions, and he didn't want her to hate him for what he thought.

"Hermione, " he began, using her first name.

"I don't think I'm a good person. " He pulled out his arm.

He pushed the sleeve up to reveal the Dark Mark, faded with the years of Voldemort being gone, but still haunting. Hermione wasn't phased. The mark seemed to stare back at him mockingly, saying, "This is what you deserve, Draco. You don't deserve a normal life. You're NOTHING. You were a PAWN!"

He could almost hear the maniac laughter of Voldemort just looking at the mark on his arm. It was no ordinary tattoo. It was his mark of hatred. He couldn't escape it, because it followed him everywhere. It was a PART of him.

"Do you see this? I'm not a good person." He whispered.

He edged closer to her, making her back up towards the wall. She shuddered a bit. He put both hands on either side of her head, leaning against the wall with her in the middle.

"You don't want to be my friend." He closed his eyes.

"I'm not the kind of person you see walking around without a care in the world. I worked for  
>the God Damn Dark Lord!" He was at war with himself.<p>

He didn't know if she should keep talking to her or just save her from him and run.

"Malfoy, you're not going to change my opinion of you. I KNOW you used to be a Death  
>Eater. I don't care. That doesn't matter to me." She sounded extremely firm.<p>

She was certain of what she said.

"You say that now." He murmured.

Draco's silvery eyes were inflamed with conflict; the desire to run away and the desire to stay there with her. He studied her face, trying to detect any expression of resentment or repulsion. Without a word, he leaned forward and kissed her searingly. She was unresponsive at first, shocked by his actions. She pulled him closer to her after a few moments, hungrily kissing him back. He pulled at her, wanting closer contact until they were intertwined like a human pretzel. His thoughts were filled with nothing more than the intoxication he felt with his lips on hers. Her fingers knotted in his hair, pulling his face closer to his. Before he could sink into the moment any further, he came to his senses and pulled away abruptly. He drew away, seeing her stunned and swooning. He had the same effect on her that she had on him. He exhaled in a shudder.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" He stuttered before he backed away.

"Draco…" she whispered.

She was still punch drunk from his almost violent kiss. She hadn't expected it at all.

"I'm sorry." He whispered again, sounding a bit delusional.

He looked completely ashamed of himself. He pulled away more and walked down the alley, breaking into a sprint, leaving a very confused and swooning Hermione wondering what had just happened. His figure retreated quickly until it finally disappeared. Hermione felt herself fall back, completely confused about what had happened. She knew only one thing:

Draco Malfoy was going to pay for running away.


	28. Chapter 28

Guys, reviews are always welcome. :D I am sorry for the two chapters that were incorrectly formatted. I've corrected the error, and hope you continue reading. Thanks, Riley.

Hermione was slightly dizzy after Malfoy left her. She was trying to register what had happened. One minute he was going on a sad and hatred filled rant, and the next he was on her lips, kissing her with passion and need, like she was the only source of life that was keeping him alive, and he needed her. She was running through the moment in her head, remembering his soft lips kissing her with a contrastingly aggressive force. She remembered his expression afterward, contorted with self-hatred and desire to kiss her again. She didn't know why he'd left, or what she'd done to make him regret it, but she felt truly awful when she saw him running away.

She was still in between the apothecary and the joke shop, sitting down on the ground. She'd become too dizzy to stand after he'd left. She sighed, stood up, and dusted herself off.

"So stupid, Hermione…" she whispered to herself.

She began walking down the alley, out from the buildings, attempting to stay steadied as she walked. She couldn't decide if she was mad or hurt that he left; her thoughts were all over  
>the place like the muggle pinball machines. She felt her heart race each time she went back to the thought. It was a happy one, there was no doubt about that. He was a wonderful kisser.<p>

"Come on, Hermione. He obviously doesn't like you – he ran away." She thought miserably.

She trudged along the alley, absently looking into shops, trying to keep her balance. He had a very powerful effect on her, and she didn't know why. Truthfully, she didn't know a lot of things, anymore. She never thought that Draco Malfoy, of all people, would kiss HER.  
>Granger, the sick little mudblood who doesn't deserve the title of being a witch. Hermione's thoughts grew bitter.<p>

"Hermione?" A familiar voice said from a distance away.

She looked up, still slightly befuddled. Harry was looking at her, holding a very large box of lacewing flies, as indicated on the front.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

She thought about that for a moment. Was she alright? Was she honestly going to be ok?

"F-f-fine," She managed.

"W-w-what are you d-d-doing here?"

She stumbled, and Harry grabbed a hold of her arm to keep her from falling.

"Never mind me – what are YOU doing here?" He was concerned.

"Hermione, you look as if you'd just been attacked by a dementor."

Hermione smiled weakly. She supposed that she DID feel like she confronted a dementor. Her body was completely emptied of emotion for the time being. She just felt the ghosts of the happiness she had when he'd kissed her…

"Hermione?" Harry asked again.

Oh, no. Hermione had been thinking about the kiss for too long. She'd have to keep her  
>focus if she wanted to avoid Harry questioning her.<p>

"I just fancied a drink after a long day at work. Is that a crime?" she teased.

"I suppose not."

"Why are you here?" She repeated.

"Oh, Kendrina needed these for some Polyjuice Potion. Ron's off getting the shredded Boomslang skin." He looked grateful to have the flies.

"Isn't that hard to come by?" she asked.

"Oh, definitely. I'm just glad she stuck me with this." He said, holding the box higher.

"Well, do you want to go back together?" Hermione asked hopefully.

She didn't feel like being alone; she'd caught herself thinking about Malfoy too much.

"Of course!" Harry looked positively cheered by the idea.

Hermione began to feel a bit awkward. Maybe being alone with Harry wasn't such a great idea. They began to walk up the path when Harry turned to her.

"What happened to the prat, anyways?"

Hermione gulped. She'd been hoping he wouldn't ask her this. She was forced to bring Malfoy back into her mind.

"I-I-I dunno." She said shakily.

"Hermione, you're a bit off. Are you sure you're ok?"

She merely nodded, wanting to avoid eye contact. Harry knew her too well, and would be able to see through her lie.

"Ok." He decided it wasn't worth going into. She'd tell him when she was ready.

Harry felt an odd sensation whenever he was around Hermione. He couldn't explain it – she just made him feel… whole.

"Hermione, I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with me." He said awkwardly.

Hermione looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"Harry, we're going to the burrow tonight."

"Oh, right. Smooth, Potter." Harry thought bitterly.

"Oh, er, I meant to ask if you were still going." He choked out. "Nice save…" He said to  
>himself.<p>

Hermione smiled.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Which reminds me, who were you with the other day when you missed lunch at the burrow?"  
>He said, remembering their unfinished conversation from before.<p>

"Oh, er – Just a friend." She said quickly.

"Who, though, Hermione?" He was getting worried.

"Are you dating someone?"

Hermione laughed darkly.

"No. Not at all."

Harry felt relief rush over him.

"Which reminds ME, Harry. Have you talked to Ginny, yet?" She turned the tables.

"I was planning on it." He said like he really wasn't.

"Harry, stop putting it off, it's only going to make it worse."

They'd walked to the point of reaching the back of the Leaky Cauldron. Harry stopped and rested his hand on the wall.

"Hermione – I'm just not…." He trailed off.

Hermione put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, just don't put it off to the point where it hurts you both. Ginny loves you, and you love her. I see it in your eyes whenever you look at her. I just think this moment of doubt has to do with all of the stress from work. You'll work it out – I know it."

Somehow, Harry wasn't convinced. He sighed, then tapped the bricks. They rearranged as they had before, revealing the back of the Leaky Cauldron.

"I s'pose." He said uncertainly.

"Come on, let's get these flies back. I'm tired of carrying them around."

~

They arrived at the Ministry, Harry's fingers barely holding on to the box.

"I'll take those." Hermione offered.

He thrusted the box into her hands, almost dropping them. She groaned when it landed. For it to be flies, it was pretty heavy.

"Oh, there's Ron!" Harry shouted, running over to Ron, leaving Hermione trying to hold the flies.

Ron was carrying a parcel as well, not straining to hold it as much as Harry or Hermione had.

"Oi, Hermione!" Ron roared happily.

He sauntered over to her, shifting the parcel to where he was only using one arm to hold it.  
>Hermione glared at him.<p>

"Let's just get these to Kendrina."

They half-walked, half-jogged to Kendrina's office, Hermione panting by the time they got there.

"Someone open the door!" She commanded.

Harry pushed it open, saying, "Ms. Harwick, we have what you requested."

She was sitting at her desk, wearing a stern look.

"Good, Ms. Granger. I have to talk to you, as well. Just put the ingredients on my desk."

Hermione grew nervous. What if Kendrina was firing her? She strode forward and set the box on Kendrina's desk, wringing her hands after. Ron followed her example, then looked at Kendrina expectantly.

"This doesn't concern you, Mr. Weasley." She said coldly.

"You either, Potter." She added.

They were about to protest, but closed their mouths when Kendrina shot them a rude look. They exited silently, not wanting to feel the wrath of that hawk-like gaze. When the door had been shut, Kendrina sighed and looked at Hermione.

"I really thought you two could overcome this."She began, a disappointed look crossing her face.

"Sorry?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't think this school grudge would affect you two THIS much."

"Ms. Harwick, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mr. Malfoy requested to be removed from the investigation – surely you knew that."


	29. Chapter 29

Hermione was speechless. She was feeling a mixture between anger and sadness all at the same time. Was she THAT repulsive?

"Of course I declined." Kendrina said, like it was an obvious fact.

"But I want to get to the root of this problem. If it has gotten to this point, then I'm going to have to intervene."

Hermione secretly felt relief, even though she was angry at him.

"Ms. Granger, I really do think you two need more time together. I can't have my workers acting like this. We are a team."

"Ms. Harwick, I honestly had no idea he felt that strongly about wanting to change. We were getting a long pretty decently."

Kendrina sighed.

"Yes, I thought so, too. The reason I denied him is something you should know, though, Granger. If YOU hadn't asked to be switched at the beginning of the case, I might have actually switched him. But the thing is, I have reason to believe this is just based off of some silly grudge back from your school days, and not a legitimate problem." She said.

"Ms. Harwick, with all due respect, why didn't you change me?" She asked curiously.

"I told you, Granger. I didn't change you because I thought that you could handle it. We aren't little children zooming around on toy broomsticks and licking acid pops, this is the real wizarding world. You're BOTH going to have to get used to it. I suggest you have a discussion with Mr. Malfoy about this, if you know where to find him. I've given him tomorrow off so he can clear his thoughts, so I'd go see him then if you value your job."

Hermione didn't know if she should be thrilled or offended, but either way, she had to talk to Malfoy.

"Of course, Ms. Harwick. I'll make arrangements." She said uncertainly.

She knew she wasn't going to go see him. She'd probably send him an owl. If she showed up at the Malfoy Manor, she'd definitely be seen as out of place. She shuddered when she thought of all the things she went through there. It wasn't a comforting feeling.

"If you have no questions, I'll be returning to my work, now." Kenrina said.

Hermione headed for the door, thinking about what she was going to say to him. She was going to be hard on him. No one kisses her, then runs away like a coward.

"Ms. Granger?" Kendrina said just as Hermione was about to leave.

"Yes?" Hermione turned to her.

"I like you. Don't mess this up."

Hermione took it as a compliment. Kendrina didn't like anyone. She clearly favored Hermione over the boys, but not by much. Kendrina wasn't exactly a compassionate sort of person. When it came right down to it, she was a very blunt, cold sort of person. Hermione liked her well enough. She was strict, but working for her would pay off in the long run.

Hermione exited, her mind going in all sorts of directions. She was thinking about Kendrina, then she was thinking about Harry and Ginny, then she went back to the kiss. It was her most revisited thought. She really didn't understand what was wrong with her.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron shouted at the same time as the scrambled over to her.

"What did she say?" Ron asked anxiously.

"You're not in trouble, are you?" Harry inquired.

Hermione sighed and waved off their concerns.

"I'm fine. Malfoy tried to get off the case, but she didn't let him."

"That stupid son of a-"

"RON!" Hermione said sternly.

"Sorry. He's just so arrogant." Ron went a bit red.

"He's just mad that you're smarter than he is, and he can't fight his own battles." Harry said bitterly, his eyes narrowing as he talked.

"Boys, just forget about it. It was just a personal issue, I'm sure. We both get along fine."

She wasn't exactly sure when she said it, but it seemed to placate Harry and Ron.

She knew that if she kept lying, Harry would see through the façade. He was extremely perceptive, even if he didn't act that way most of the time. She was still trying to think of ways to dodge his questioning about her in Diagon Alley with Malfoy.

"You'd better go home. I'll tell mum that you're not coming this evening." Ron said in a voice ringing full of authority.

"Ron, why on EARTH would I skip dinner?" Hermione asked.

"You look horrible, to be honest, 'Mione."

"Thanks, Ronald." She said bitterly.

"I'm just saying that you don't look up for it right now." He said defensively.

"Yeah, Hermione. You look awful." Harry interjected.

Hermione didn't like their assumptions. Surely she'd gathered herself after the whole fiasco?  
>She was still in disbelief that such a thing would make him want to be removed from the case. She felt horrible.<p>

"Nothing wrong with you…" She said to herself.

"What?" Ron asked with a confused look.

Oh, maybe she hadn't said that just to herself.

"Nothing, you're right. I'm a bit tired. I think I'll turn in a bit early this evening. I'll join you two tomorrow." She said quickly, trying to avoid the questioning stares she was getting.

"Oh, alright then. We'll see you tomorrow. We have to go to the briefing room again – it'll give you a chance to sit with us instead of the pureblood prat." Harry said eagerly.

"Harry, I have the day off tomorrow."

Harry's face fell.

"Well, we still get to see you for dinner TOMORROW, right?" Ron asked.

Hermione smiled warmly.

"Of course. I'm just not feeling up to it tonight, like you said. I must look a dreadful sight."  
>She complained.<p>

"Hermione, you're pretty all the time. You just look a bit run through the mill." Harry said  
>soothingly.<p>

"Thanks. Well, I better get going. I want to have some tea before I go to bed."

She began to walk away. Harry whispered something to Ron, then ran after Hermione.

"I'll take you home. It's a bit late for you to be travelling by yourself."

"Harry, It's only a two second trip, and besides; my only neighbor is an old crotchety  
>woman." Hermione protested indignantly.<p>

He looked a bit sheepish.

"I'd just feel better if I took you."

She sighed.

"By all means."

She extended her arm for him to take, but instead, he took her hand, weaving his fingers through hers. He smiled at her before they disapparated, savoring the moment.

"Er, Harry, you can let go now." Hermione said awkwardly when they arrived.

"Oh, right." Harry dropped her hand and looked away.

They were both silent for a moment, not sure of what to say.

"Erm, 'Mione?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Yes?" She asked in a tired voice.

"Are you really ok? You look like something's really bothering you. You can tell me, if you  
>want."<p>

She knew that Harry was being a good friend, but she was getting tired of all the questions, and she just wanted to go to bed.

"Harry, I just had a long day. I spilled butterbeer all over my favorite sweater, and it upset me." She lied easily.

"Oh, that's right. You were wearing a different outfit, earlier." He said, even though she wasn't.

Hermione mentally rolled her eyes. He could be so dense, sometimes.

"Well, if that's' all, I'm going inside, now. Have fun at dinner. And TALK TO GINNY!" She scolded.

He looked at her resentfully.

"Harry James Potter, you do it, or I'll curse your buttocks off." Hermione warned.

Harry chuckled. He walked closer to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her there for a  
>moment.<p>

"You looked like you could use one of these." He whispered.

She pulled away, not wanting to prolong the moment.

"Harry, go." She said in a firm, but teasing voice.

"Ok, ok." He obliged, disapparating on the spot.

"Those boys." Hermione said fondly to herself before walking into her flat.

She strode into the kitchen to get out the tea. She wanted something a bit stronger, but that's all she had. It reminded her of Malfoy and his firewhiskey. She caught herself thinking about him again. She couldn't keep doing that until she talked to him.

She saw something folded and taped to her refrigerator door. She was confused. She hadn't left anything there that morning. With the tips of her fingers, she pulled it off and unfolded it.  
>Inside written in fancy, but hastily scratched scrawl, was a note.<p>

Hermione,  
>We need to talk. Meet me in the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow at twelve o'clock.<br>Malfoy

She felt her heart leap when she read his name, completely contradicting what his four words had been. Hermione knew that when someone said, "We need to talk", it was never a good thing. She put the note down, trying to control her heartbeats. Just by thinking about him it caused her to have this reaction. Once she'd calmed down a bit, she pulled out her wand and began making the tea.

She would not think about Draco Malfoy until she had to meet with him. She would NOT let him break her heart. Most importantly of all, she would let all of the emotion she had out and not feel anything more for him before she went there.

"Not worth my time." She thought.

But even as she thought these words that made all the sense in the world, she knew they were a lie.


	30. Chapter 30

After all of the nights Hermione had slept without nightmares, it didn't come as a shock to her when she woke up soaked in her own cold sweat. She was trembling, barely able to keep still. The only visible light in her room was outside of her window, supplied by the moon. It was set against a black sky with no stars. Hermione sat up and pulled her knees into her arms.

She threw her blankets off, feeling extremely hot. The moment after they hit the floor, she was cold once more. She sighed shakily and fell back onto her pillow.

It was that damn pureblood's fault. He'd been the cause of it. When things were going good at work with him, her dreams had only been good ones. It was now apparent that he altered her life in a more significant way than she thought before. She slapped herself on her head with the palm of her hand.

"Not worth it." She repeated over and over in her mind.

But if he really wasn't worth it, then why could she not stop thinking about him? She shuddered once more. Her eyelids began to droop, and she heard the soft sound of her curtains scraping against her window. She laid down and closed her eyes. Sleep as what she was going to need if she was to confront Draco the next morning.

~

Hermione's day had started off rough. She wasn't thinking the right way, and all of her simple spells that were part of her daily routine had gone wrong. She'd broken two tea mugs, and was working on her third. She blamed it on the nightmares, but she knew that it was because she was nervous. It was eleven o'clock, and she had to meet Malfoy at twelve.

She thought that he was going to tell her to never talk to him again, and to just stay out of his life because she was a filthy mudblood. He'd cast her away and not think twice about it, realizing he could get better than the 'Goody Gryffindor'. She felt herself tear up at that partuclar thought. She shook her head and stopped it in it's tracks, not wanting to waste  
>tears over it. It was silly. He wasn't worth her time.<p>

"Yes, he is… I'm just not worth HIS time." She whispered miserably to herself.

She decided to use some of the hair potion in an attempt to look pretty. Her hair straightened out immediately after she'd applied it. She looked at herself in her bathroom mirror and wondered if it was even worth the effort. She sighed, deciding to put make up on, as well.  
>The mascara she'd gotten was still full, and it was no use to just let such a thing go to waste. Her eyelashes were coated in it as she sweeped the mascara wand cleverly through them.<br>They had gotten darker, drawing more attention to her big, amber eyes. She remembered some eyeliner she had in the drawer, but she was worried she'd poke herself in the eye with it. It was best left alone.

Her outfit consisted of simple jeans and a white, short-sleeved blouse. She truly looked stunning, even dressed as simply as she was.

"It's his loss." She tried to sound defiant, not succeeding even when she was talking to herself.

~

At 11:45, she felt it was time to disapparate. She swallowed all of her nervous feelings and stepped outside, wishing she'd used the eyeliner after all.

"Come on, pull yourself together, Granger." She thought.

She disapparated, still not used to the dizzying effect it had on her. Or was it just because she was extra nervous? The Leaky Cauldron was in sight not two seconds after she'd left.  
>She wrung her hands together, stepping forward as slowly as she could. The door opened before she got there, and Hermione was standing face – to – face with a familiar looking<br>witch.

"Hermione?" The witch asked, her eyes dreamy looking.

"Luna?" Hermione gasped in disbelief.

The witch smiled, and she flipped her long, blonde hair over her shoulder.

"You look very pretty, did your hair get straighter? Come in for a drink?" She asked.

Hermione was about to accept, but then she realized she'd made plans.

"I can't now, sorry, Luna."

Luna's face fell a bit, but she smiled wider.

"Not at all, I understand." She turned to walk away.

"Luna!" Hermione called, not liking the disappointment she'd given her.

"Yes?" She turned back around.

"Well, I know it's a bit late notice, but if you'd like, would you want to come to Mrs. Weasley's  
>tonight for dinner?"<p>

Luna's smile grew, her eyes lighting up.

"Of course. Harry and Ron will be there, as well?"

Hermione nodded. Luna looked at her thoughtfully.

"I'll have a look at the gnomes while I'm there. I'm sure their saliva will be needed for magical discovery. They're also quite amusing."

Luna hadn't changed one bit. Hermione nodded, then began walking to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I'll see you 'round seven, ok?"

Luna nodded, then dreamily walked off, humming to herself.

"Loony Lovegood." Hermione smiled to herself.

She pushed the door open, almost forgetting her anxiety. She gulped when she saw white-blonde hair at a table. She walked forward, trying not to trip over her feet. Malfoy looked up at her, and he wore the same scared expression.

"Y-you look v-very pretty." He stuttered, spilling a bit of his drink as she walked up.

"T-thanks."

She sat down, suddenly feeling very ill at ease.

"Look, I'm so-" They both said at the same time.

"YOU'RE sorry?" Malfoy exclaimed, looking at her like she was insane.

Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"You left me thinking I'd done something wrong. I didn't mean to intrude on your personal life, Mr. Malfoy." She said his last name with malice.

He was taken aback.

"C-call me Draco, please. It seems like you despise me. You have every reason to hate me."  
>He sighed.<p>

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You just seemed upset, and I didn't like it. So, I asked questions. It was my fault." Hermione said a bit gentler.

He looked up at her, placing his hand on hers.

"You did nothing wrong, trust me." He said.

"Why did you run off like that? Why did you ask to be removed from the case?"

Malfoy glowered at her for a moment.

"That stupid b-" he began, but caught Hermione's angered expression.

"I asked to be removed because I thought you couldn't stand to look at me after what I've -  
>What I've done." He gulped.<p>

"The kiss?" Hermione asked, confused.

He looked down, then took his hand off of hers quickly.

"Well, I guess that's part of it. I'm sorry for being so… aggressive."

"PART of it, Draco?"

"I figured you'd hate me after my little er, rant."

"I told you, I don't blame you for anything you've done. You grew up in that kind of hostile  
>environment. I understand that you want no part of it. You've grown, Draco, for Merlin's sake!"<p>

He chuckled darkly.

"There's so much you don't know…" He said viciously.

"Then HELP me to understand!" She nearly yelled.

People began to look over at them curiously. Hermione didn't care. She was just filled with so many different emotions, and she didn't know how to react to him.

"I don't think I can, Hermione." He said softly, using her first name.

"I just need to know if you regret it, because I DON'T." Hermione said with a stony face.

He looked at her, confused.

"Regret what?"

"Kissing A MUDBLOOD!" She yelled.

The entire pub was looking at them.

"You think I regret kissing you? THAT is what you think I regret?" He laughed.

"This isn't funny." She snapped.

He was quiet for a minute, studying her face.

"Hermione, that's the last thing I would regret."

"Really?" She said dubiously.

"I don't know if you know this,"

He stood up, took her hand, and pulled her up too. He pulled her closer to him, until their noses were touching.

"But I really like you."

He drew his lips to hers, kissing her softly.


	31. Chapter 31

Hermione was very vaguely aware of the people in the Leaky Cauldron watching; she was just happy to be kissing Malfoy. However, Malfoy caught a few awkward stares and broke away from her. He didn't like to do it, but they were in an extremely public place.

"Y-you like me?" Hermione managed, trying to catch her breath.

Malfoy's face showed no signs of malice or regret, only joy. It was easy to detect because of his oddly expressional eyes; It was like they were a mirror of his exact feelings. He nodded solemnly. He motioned for her to sit down, so she did, attempting to keep her composure.

"Actually, Hermione - " he began, his voice a bit shaky and his face tinged with red.

"I think I've liked you before we worked on this."

Hermione's face was full of disbelief.

"What do you mean?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well, er – at the Yule Ball, you looked…amazing. I kept telling myself it was because you were so, well, so ugly that I couldn't keep looking at you. But, to be honest, it's because I noticed how beautiful you really were. I always thought you were one of the smartest witches there, and you had more personality than a q-tip, which is more than I can say for those other girls." He scoffed as he finished, obviously referring to Pansy.

Hermione was speechless. She had no idea that he had been looking at her. She'd been too busy arguing with Ron to notice much else. A sardonic smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she, in a very Slytherin manner, smirked at Draco.

"What's that look for?" He hissed.

Hermione laughed.

"A Slytherin pureblood like yourself staring at a mudblood Gryffindor?"

"In my defense, you looked - "

"It's just surprising, Draco." She smiled, resting her head on her hand.

He smiled back at her.

"What are we going to do, Hermione?" Concern was drifting into his tone.

For the second time that day, Hermione was worried. She had no earthly idea.

"If you really like me, like you say, then you'll stay on the case like a good Slytherin, and not let this interfere, no matter how much." She plainly stated, completely contradicting the frightened thoughts swimming in her head.

"What happens if Potter and Weasley find out?" He whispered.

Hermione scoffed.

"Those two are the LEAST of my worries, Draco."

He smiled.

"They're going to be mad at me for stealing you away from them."

"I could care less what they think, Draco." Hermione said defiantly.

"Calm down, only making predictions." He said with an impish grin on his face.

"I can't figure you out, Malfoy." Hermione said seriously.

"First you run away, repulsed, after you kiss me, and now you're admitting that you've had a crush on me since we were fourteen? It just doesn't make sense."

He drew in a deep breath.

"Hermione, I ran away because I was repulsed of MYSELF, I told you."

"You have no reason to be repulsed by yourself." She smiled.

Hermione got up from where she sat, and she extended her hand. Draco took it, standing as well.

"Let's go to Diagon Alley. I don't like this place much." She looked around at the musky surrounding, shuddering a bit when she caught eyes with Tom.

"Couldn't agree more."

They went out the back of the Leaky Cauldron, each happier than they had been in weeks.

~

"Draco, I am warning you!" Hermione shrieked.

They were inside the apothecary, and Malfoy was holding a very questionable potion ingredient by his fingertips.

"What are you going to do about it?" He demanded in a teasing tone.

He jokingly pretended to flick it at her, earning a high-pitched scream that was loud enough  
>to shatter the glass of the windows.<p>

"Granger, calm down!" he yelled, his sides hurting from laughter.

"Damn you, Draco Malfoy!" She spat.

Her eyes darted from side to side, until they locked on the desired target. She reached into a bin of worms, trying to hide her disgust as she pulled out a handful. Malfoy's eyes grew wide, and he used his arms as a shield.

"You WOULDN'T!" He dared her.

Hermione smirked.

"Wouldn't I?" She tantalized him with the worms, writhing in her hands.

Real fear flashed in his molten silvery eyes, and he knew Hermione wasn't messing around.

"Hermione. Granger. If. You. Do. Not. Put. Those. Down. I. Will. Be. Forced. To. Violence." He said through gritted teeth.

In one quick movement, Hermione had tossed the worms back into the bin, sprinted to  
>Mafoy, and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She giggled.<p>

"I would've done it." She whispered.

"I know." He smiled.

"That's why I -" She pulled a few from behind her back and sprinkled them on his head.

" – saved a few!" She laughed and ran out of the apothecary, grinning mentally at the look on Malfoy's face.

He shook the worms off of his head, attempting to muster a mean look on his face, but failing miserably. He chased her outside the store and caught up to her.

"You actually did it!" He accused.

She smiled deviously.

"I might've."

He looked at her eyes, seeing the joy reflected into them. He leaned down, kissing her for the second time that day. She let every emotion melt out of her, feeling nothing but bliss. He pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" Hermione looked up at the sound of a familiar voice.

Ginny Weasley stood a few feet from them, carrying a few bright shopping bags. She was smirking at them, a glint of a smile in her eyes.


	32. Chapter 32

Malfoy jumped away from Hermione quickly, attempting to cover up their actions.

"I don-"

"Save it, Malfoy, keep your knickers on." Ginny was looking at Hermione.

"Your secret's safe with me."

Ginny's tone was teasing, and Malfoy looked like he'd been caught in the act by one of his parents. He was blushing furiously.

"Did the Weasley girl know about this before?" He asked, worried.

Ginny's face turned mad.

"I have a name, and it's not 'The Weasley Girl'." She snapped.

Malfoy looked away, slightly abashed.

"Ginny, I think we need to talk."

Ginny smiled and shook her head.

"I think I uh- better leave you two to finish your… date." She winked and began to walk off.

Hermione caught her by her robes, keeping her stationary.

"You won't breathe a WORD about this to Ron or Harry. Or anyone else, for that matter." She whispered furiously.

Ginny smiled.

"Hermione, go have fun. Honestly, what kind of friend do you think I am. I told you I thought he was cute. He seems nicer now. You have my blessing." She patted her on the shoulder and walked away, her flaming red hair swinging behind her.

Hermione stood, shocked that Ginny saw them. She trusted her, but she wasn't sure if she could keep it a secret. She DID work with both Ron and Harry. She was paranoid, looking in every direction to check if Ron or Harry were there. She remembered that they were at the  
>Ministry, so temporary relief flooded through her.<p>

"Well, that was awkward." Malfoy commented.

Hermione turned toward him and shook her head.

"Ginny won't tell. I know. She thinks you're cute, by the way." Hermione said nonchalantly.

Malfoy chuckled.

"Does she, now? She seemed repulsed by me back when we were in school. Blaise had a flame for her for a little while." He said, reminiscing.

"She doesn't like you, you arse." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Not that it would matter, anyways. It seems that I only have eyes for one girl in particular.  
>She's got this curly brown hair, and these gorgeous brown eyes. I don't reckon you'd know<br>her." He smirked.

Hermione tried to fight back a smile, but she failed. She fell into his arms, almost knocking him over.

"There's this boy that I think is decent looking, as well. He's an arrogant, blonde-headed ferret. Don't reckon you've heard of him, either." She teased.

"Ah… Ferret." He exhaled.

"A very spastic ferret." Hermione smiled.

He winced, pretending to be hurt by her comment.

"It fits you." Hermione said plainly, grabbing him tightly around the waist.

"Let's get a Firewhiskey." Malfoy said.

"It's been a he|l of a week, and I'm sure both you and I need one."

Hermione didn't disagree.

After a long and vigorous walk, they were sitting at the café they usually frequented when going out together. The same waitress took their order.

"Firewhiskey. Two." Malfoy said before Hermione could interject.

The waitress didn't seem to care what Hermione wanted, so she just sauntered off to help another table.

"Firewhiskey? Are you sure that's a good idea for the Goody Gryffindor?" Hermione asked, half-joking, half-serious.

"Granger, loosen up." He rolled his eyes.

"How are we going to keep this a secret? I'm not saying it'd be dangerous for you if it wasn't,  
>because, honestly, look at Ron and Harry. But, I don't want them to lose your jobs for trying to duel you." Hermione sputtered.<p>

Malfoy thought about it for a moment, his eyes narrowing at the mention of those… losers.

"I could care less what Scarhead or Weasel thinks."

"You might not, but I DO."

"Are you afraid that they're going to be mad for me stealing you away? Granger, do you SEE the way they both look at you?"

Hermione's face grew somber.

"I know what Ron's feelings are, we've discussed it before. I don't like him. He needs to accept it."

Malfoy laughed darkly.

"You honestly think that Weasel is the ONLY one that has a thing for you? Potter practically worships the ground you walk on, Granger."

She frowned.

"Harry has Ginny, Draco. He doesn't like me in that way."

Malfoy smiled.

"Being in a relationship hasn't a thing to do with it, Granger."

Hermione felt a sick sensation in her stomach. Harry HAD been around a lot, and he was a bit … clingy. The Ginny problem was also tipping her off. She shook her head. Harry didn't like her; he never had.

"You're mad, Draco."

"We'll see." He smiled even larger.

"Even if that WERE the case, I like you. I've never liked either of them." She said indignantly.

"Granger, I know. How could you not resist me? It's got to be that Slytherin charm, or my amazing looks. Come on, I'm sexy."

Hermione snorted.

"Or could it be your arrogance?"

She secretly agreed with him, but she'd never let him know that.

The waitress arrived with their firewhiskies, looking behind them at another table that needed assistance. She levitated them to the table, then scurried in the other direction.

"Ready to lose your self-respect, Granger?" He smirked.

Hermione lifted the glass nervously. She brought the liquid to her lips, and took a large gulp.  
>She went into a coughing fit, the drink burning her throat in a satisfying, but painful way.<br>Malfoy was smiling at her behind his glass.

"H-h-how the HELL can you drink THIS?" she sputtered, still trying to cough up the rest of the liquid.

"Years of practice and a stressful job."

He had a point.

"True." She glared at the offending drink and put it down, not wanting to take another sip.

"That feeling will go away after you drink more." He said wisely.

"You WOULD know." She said, avoiding her drink.

He shook his head, but said nothing. He grabbed his own drink and downed it in ten seconds, causing Hermione to gasp. He grinned at her expression and set his glass down.

"I believe I win."

Hermione glared, snatched her glass off the table, and brought it to her mouth once more.  
>She gave him a challenging look, then very quickly, tipped the glass and swallowed every drop. She fought the urge to cough, then smirked at him. He wore a very impressed expression.<p>

"Well, well, well, the Goody Gryffindor can handle her liquor." His expression grew amused.

Hermione stuck her tongue out at him. When he looked another way, she spat the liquid into her empty glass, hiding it from him.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Hermione asked when he turned around.

He shrugged.

"I've got time."

Hermione smiled.

"We can go to my flat, have you ever seen a movie?"

His face twisted into a puzzled look.

"What's that?" He asked, curious.

"It's a muggle invention; it's like a moving picture about certain subjects, like life." She said, struggling for a fit description.

"Sounds ridulous." He scoffed.

"Alright then, let's go to the bookstore. You never did tell me what you got that last time."  
>She mused.<p>

His face flushed a deep red. Hermione was curious.

"What book DID you get?"

"I won't say." He protested.

"I'm going to think it's a lot worse than it actually is if you don't tell me."

He sighed.

"Oh, alright then. It was 'Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches.' " He mumbled.

Hermione giggled.

"Really, now? I thought you were already had that, what was it? 'Slytherin charm?' " She teased.

He blushed deeper, the pink color off-setting his pale, pointed face attractively.

"Oh, shut it. Let's go to the bookstore, Granger." He said, putting money on the table and standing up.

"Lead the way, you Slytherin Charmer, you."


	33. Chapter 33

  
>The walk to Flourish and Blotts was a very short one. It went by very fast from the active chatter between Malfoy and Hermione.<p>"You mean you haven't read it?" Malfoy exclaimed, a shocked look on his face.<p>

"No, Draco. I didn't grow up in the wizarding world."

They were discussing a children's book from the magical world, "Gwendolin and the Enchanted Goblins". Hermione had never heard of it, let alone read it.

"We are getting that book when we get there. I'm not going to have you go on without  
>reading it." Malfoy was determined.<p>

Hermoine laughed loudly.

"It's a children's book!"

Malfoy's face was serious, no trace of a giggle upon it.

"You are going to read it. That's final."

"You must really care about this book, hm?" She said in a teasing tone.

Malfoy's face grew more serious, getting sadder with each step they took.

"My mum used to read it to me when I was little. She'd get at the foot of my bed and do all the voices." He smiled slightly, one corner of his mouth pulling upward.

He ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling it a bit.

"How old were you when she read?" Hermione was genuinely curious.

It was a little strange, hearing about Malfoy's past. Hermione had never really gotten used to the fact that he was a bit more open than before.

"I was probably younger than eight years old. She didn't have any time for me after that."  
>Pain cut through his voice.<p>

"What about your father?"

He looked at Hermione with a harrowing expression.

"You really wonder?"

He had a point. His father was never warm to many people, especially Draco.

"So your childhood wasn't the…ideal one." She said this as a statement; not a question.

"It wasn't all sugar quills and smiles, that much is for certain." He said with a biting tone.

The smile that was once on his face when he talked about his mother reading to him had dissipated until it finally vanished, leaving nothing but the ghost of it behind.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

They were now standing outside Flourish and Blotts, looking at one another. Malfoy looked at  
>her with a pained expression.<p>

"It isn't your fault at all. No need to apologize." He smiled, but it was off.

Hermione reached out to his face with her hand, and she stroked his cheek. He sighed, closing his eyes. He reached with his right hand and pulled her closer to him until their stomachs were touching. He analyzed the way Hermione's chest rose and fell with each breath, her heart beating as fast as his in a synchronized rhythm.

Malfoy said something, but Hermione couldn't catch it.

"What?"

He looked at her, his eyes piercing into her.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you decided to come today."

"I almost didn't, to be completely truthful." She admitted.

He looked perplexed with her answer.

"Why not?"

"Well, I thought you were just going to turn me away. I thought that you ran away because I'm a disgusting - well, mudblood. No use dancing around the term. I didn't think you ever wanted to be around me. You seemed so – so angry with me."

"Hermione Granger. I was not angry with you, I -"

" I know that… NOW." Hermione cut in, grinning.

"Then why-"

"I was just a bit hesitant about coming. I didn't want to be shut out. I just… I just couldn't take it."

Her eyes shone with a mixture of sadness and joy, contradicting her own feelings.

"The only reason I wanted to stay away from you was because I was an ar*se."

"Tell me something I DON'T know." Hermione tantalized.

He smirked at her.

"Come on. I'm finding that book for you."

He pulled away from her, grabbing her hand in the process. He dragged her to the doors and walked in, making a beeline for the children's section.

"Wow, you paid three galleons for THIS?"

"Hermione, you're education of the wizarding world is priceless." Malfoy said solemnly.

She took the book from him, glancing at the cover. There was a cheery-faced witch of about ten years old on the front, surrounded by dancing goblins.

"This is a bit… "

"Don't say an unkind word about Gwendolyn OR her goblins." Malfoy demanded seriously.

Hermione had to repress giggles.

"Well, we'll read about Gwendolyn and her fascinating goblins LATER. Right now, I need to  
>find a helpful spell book."<p>

"Trying to memorize every spell in existence, Granger?" He beamed at her.

"And if I am?" She challenged.

"Oh, I just thought you did that our first year at Hogwarts. I'm a bit disappointed." He said in a dismissive voice.

"Actually, I did, Malfoy. Every spell we needed to know, that is." She smiled.

"Bookworm. You should have been a Ravenclaw. Far more respectable than a Gryffindor." He sneered.

"The sorting hat DID consider that, but Ravenclaw's far to coward for me." She grinned wickedly.

"So the goody Gryffindor DOES have a sense of adventure."

"I'm out on a – an outing with YOU, aren't I?"

"An 'outing', really? I was under the impression that this was a DATE, Ms. Granger."

She blushed, destroying her *** demeanor.

"Well – I s'pose…" She trailed off.

He leaned in and planted a kiss on her lips to shut her up.

"There. Now it's a date." He said as he pulled away.

He winked at her.

"Y-y-yeah, I g-guess so." She stammered.

She wasn't used to the sensation of being kissed by him. She'd had a fair few kisses in her lifetime, but none had been as intoxicating as Malfoy's. She figured he must've had a lot of practice on the Sltyherins. They weren't exactly modest, those girls. She looked away from him so he couldn't see her blushing. He snickered.

"Oh, shut it." Hermione mumbled.

"I'm offended, Granger."

"Good. Might knock you down a couple of pegs." She said before sauntering off to the spell book section.

She was in desperate need of some good cleaning spells, and she was determined to find a good book. Malfoy didn't follow her, so she wondered what he was up to.

"Probably getting another book about charming witches…" She smiled to herself.

Even if he had gotten a book like that, Hermione wouldn't have minded a single bit.

~

"Got everything?" Malfoy appeared out of nowhere, causing Hermione to nearly drop her books on the floor.

"Frightened me." She muttered.

"I'm sorry. Did you find the books you were looking for?"

Hermione nodded, walking up to the register. Malfoy clutched the children's book in his arms tightly, as if he thought someone were going to steal it. Hermione couldn't help but giggle at his darting eyes and protective shield around the book.

"You're going to sleep with that under your pillow tonight, aren't you?" She teased.

"I might." He answered indignantly.

Hermione put her books on the counter and fished through her robes for two galleons and six sickles as her total appeared on the register.

"I've got this." Malfoy said, pushing her hand away.

"Malfoy no-"

"I might need to borrow these sometime, Granger. It's only fair I provide the compensation for the use I plan to get out of them."

Hermione knew he never planned on borrowing them and grimaced at the money he pulled from his robes.

"Please, don't -"

"Hermione, I want to."

She was putty when she heard her name slip from his lips, echoing in her ears like a melody.  
>She allowed him to purchase the books, but swore to herself she'd hex his fingers together the next time he tried it. She smiled at that thought.<p>

"What's the grin for, Granger?" Malfoy asked.

"Nothing. I'm just happy to be spending time with you." She answered.

Malfoy grinned back at her, his heart soaring. He couldn't get used to the feeling he had whenever he was around her. He shook it off, not wanting her to see him smiling that much.

"So, when are we going to read this book?" Hermione asked him.

"As. Soon. As. We. Get. Out. Of. Here." He annunciated each word with emphasis, clearly excited to get to the reading.

"I can't believe Draco Malfoy gets excited about a silly little children's book." She shook her head, smiling.

"You haven't LIVED until you've read this, Granger. Trust me. Your life will change." He said solemnly.

"Well, I guess we better hurry then, huh?"

Malfoy scooped up the books quickly, leaving the store in a hurry. Hermione had to run to keep up with him. When she got outside, he was perched on a stone bench, the book open at the beginning and a flicker of excitement coloring his face. Without a word, she sat beside him.

He cleared his throat and began.

"Gwendolyn Gevina lived a lonely life…"

~

After the final sentence, Hermione could see a small tear in the corner of Malfoy's eye. The story had been a truly great story. It shamed Cinderella and Snow White; the stories that Hermione would beg her mum to read her when she was younger. She could see why Draco loved it so much.

Gwendolyn was a very lonely child. Her mother had completely abandoned her, and her father was always out trying to find work. She found some goblins in her garden one day, and found a friend in each of them. Malfoy had given each of the three goblins a different voice. The goblins didn't follow the normal standards of regular goblins, like the ones in Gringotts. They were all cheerful, though they'd been a bit rude to Gwendolyn at first. When her father was home, she would tell him of the wonderful adventures they had during her play time. He dismissed it, but found that her "imaginary" friends were real and destroyed them all. Gwendolyn became very sick and died with the heartache, and her father was so torn up that he etched goblins on her tombstone with his wand at the end. The story never told what happened to the father, but it was a very depressing thought after Hermione found out that Gwendolyn died.

She felt herself tearing up, too. She tried to blink them back, but couldn't hold it in. She all but burst out as the tears began to stream down her cheeks. She didn't know why, but the end of the story mixed in with the pain on Draco's face was too much for her. He looked at her, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. The bit of tear she thought she saw in his eye was gone, so she figured she imagined it.

"S-s-she was s-s-s-so lonely!" Hermione cried out.

Malfoy looked at her curiously, not sure what to say.

"I didn't know that it would affect you this much." He tried to laugh, but his voice was shaking.

"I'm sorry." She stuttered.

"It's alright, it was my favorite story. I cried the first time I heard it, too." He reminisced.

His face grew more bitter as he shut the book.

"I can see why you miss it." She empathized.

"I guess It's because I could see a bit of myself in Gwendolyn…" He analyzed her reaction, then quickly backed up.

"Ridiculous, I know. Sorry."

"It's not ridiculous at all. I can tell you were lonely, too. Even if it IS with a story book character, at least you know you weren't alone." She could tell the words were corny as she spoke them, but she couldn't help it.

To her surprise, Malfoy smiled at her.

"Sorry, but you HAD to hear it. Was it not the greatest story of all time?"

"The BEST piece of literature I've heard in a while, believe me. Much more entertaining than a spell book."

"You should let me recommend some more; it seems as if you've been deprived of a childhood."

Hermione nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"Well, I better get you back home. If I'm not mistaken, you've got a dinner to attend." He looked reluctant as he spoke the words.

Time between the two of them seemed to go by extremely fast. It wasn't really enough for  
>Malfoy, but he knew that Hermione was supposed to get back.<p>

"Yeah, I s'pose." Hermione answered just as reluctantly.

They both stood at the same time. Hermione hadn't realized how much time had gone by.  
>She'd been engrossed with the story.<p>

"Let's go." He put his arm around her, looking around to make sure no one they knew could see them."

They walked to the Leaky Cauldron, laughing and talking about Gwendolyn. It reminded Malfoy of too many depressing memories, so it felt good to talk about it lightheartedly with  
>Hermione. They got to the brick wall, and Hermione tapped it absently. It opened before their eyes, and they stepped through. Malfoy opened the back door for her, and she stepped inside, welcoming the cool rush of air and the light musty smell. It was becoming a routine for her.<p>

Malfoy walked in front of her so he could open the other door for her, as well. She rolled her eyes, but walked through.

"Thanks, such a gentleman." She said sarcastically.

"ME? A gentleman? As a Slytherin, that offends me."

"Take the damn compliment." She smirked.

He nodded curtly.

They were both outside again, the wind tugging at Hermione's curls. Malfoy walked closer to her. He slid his hand into Hermione's and drew it up to his lips, kissing it. He was looking at her, smoldering intensely before they disapparated.

~

"I guess I'd better go." Malfoy mumbled softly.

He'd walked her up to her door and said his goodbyes.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Hermione said impatiently.

"What?" He looked confused.

She pointed to her lips. He smiled deviously. He lunged forward and kissed her softly at first, then growing more intense. Her lips molded perfectly with his. His hands cradled her face tenderly. He pulled away, leaving Hermione disappointed.

"Sorry, but I believe you have somewhere to be." He laughed.

"They can wait." She snapped.

"Just go, Hermione." He shook his head.

She turned towards her door.

"Wait." He said suddenly.

"What?"

He stepped in front of her and kissed her again.

"I won't get a chance to do that until we're alone again." He said as he pulled away.

"Oh, right. Work." Hermione said in a depressed voice.

"Don't worry; we'll do this again." He smiled.

"I'll see you later, Draco." She said.

He walked away, looking both ways to make sure no muggles were looking, then disapparated. Hermione sighed and sunk to her feet. She nearly forgot she had to go to the burrow. She unlocked her door and ran inside, using a spell to bake some cookies for the dinner.

Once she was satisfied with her recipe, she levitated the batch into a tin and packed it away. She went outside and disapparated, excited to see everyone, especially Luna. It was definitely going to be an interesting dinner. 


	34. Chapter 34

Sorry about not posting yesterday, guys. I have a rather large head ache, and it effects how I write. It'll be gone soon, but for the time being, thank you for being patient. I really appreciate it. Reviews are welcomed

Hermione outside of the burrow, stumbling a bit when she landed from her apparation. The house was lit up brightly, and a great deal of sound was coming from the inside of it.  
>Hermione thought she detected a few screams, but she couldn't be sure.<p>

She sighed. Luna was probably there, already.

"Hermione!" Ginny's voice came from the house.

Hermione looked up and felt her face break into a large grin.

"Alright there, Ginny?"

Ginny looked like she was positively glowing. Yeah. Luna was DEFINITELY here. Ginny ran to  
>hug Hermione. She gripped her tightly, then pulled away, her eyes dancing with pure excitement.<p>

"Luna arrived moments before you! She said you told her to come! I haven't seen her in so long, thank you, Hermione!" Ginny was panting, getting all the sentence out in one breath.

"Ginny, breathe." Hermione smiled.

A ne wlook crossed Ginny's face. She suddenly gripped Hermione's shoulders.

"We have a LOT to talk about, don't we Hermione?" She smirked.

Hermione's face flushed.

"I-I-I-" She stuttered.

Suddenly, Luna came bursting out of the door, breaking into a sprint. She hurdled towards Hermione, her arms spread open. She barreled into her, knocking Ginny out of the way.

"Hermione!" Luna said in her signature dreamy voice.

She released Hermione and gazed at her. Luna had changed quite a bit over the few years they'd been apart. Her blonde hair was still long, but it fell in more defined curls on her back.  
>Her features had gotten a bit more defined; she'd grown into them. Her eyes kept that same dazed look, though.<p>

"I didn't get a chance to properly greet you earlier." Luna smiled.

"I'm glad you came, Luna."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides, I was hoping to inspect some of the Weasley's garden gnomes." Luna looked over Hermione's shoulder towards the garden and a hopeful expression dawned on her face.

"Of course, Luna. Why don't we go inside?" Hermione said, trying to repress a giggle.

Ginny looked at her, her mouth pressed into a thin line. She was trying to refrain from laughing, as well. It'd been so long since they'd seen Luna that they'd forgotten just how mad she could be sometimes.

"Let's go inside, Ron's got something to tell us!" Luna said excitedly.

Both Hermione and Ginny groaned internally. If Ron had anything interesting to say, Hermione would declare herself an idiot. Ron rambled too much, and she didn't care for it.  
>Luna looked happy enough, though. She pranced inside, her radish earrings dangling in her ears.<p>

"I can't believe she still wears those." Hermione said fondly.

"TALK. Now. Or I will not hinder myself in a crutatious curse." Ginny threatened.

Hermione knew she was teasing, but the very Mrs. Weasley, no-nonsense look in her eye told her that she'd better get to talking.

"Well, It's a long story."

Ginny beckoned to the full house.

"Trust me, no one will notice. We have GOT time." She demanded forcefully.

"Er -"

"Hermione, DRACO MALFOY of ALL people." Ginny shook her head in exasperation.

"You said he was cute!"

"I stand by what I said, and I support your decision. I just really never thought it would happen. I did assume, though. You used to be at each other's throats all the time at Hogwarts. You know, if a boy teases a girl, it means he likes her." Ginny rolled her eyes at her own cliché, but she was right.

"I didn't like him in school!" Hermione exclaimed defensively.

Ginny huffed.

"Are you going to tell me what happened, or not?"

Hermione sighed.

"The beginning, or when you showed up?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"The beginning of course."

Hermione explained to her how they'd both hated one another, and then how they'd decided  
>to be civil. She progressed to the parts of her beginning to like Draco. Her stories earned a giggle out of Ginny. She paused when Ginny wanted to tell her something.<p>

"You know what? I think he liked you when he saved you from those Death Eaters at the  
>house you were patrolling."<p>

Hermione blushed.

"Actually, you were sort of right." Her ears brightened with red.

"What do you mean?"

Hermione hesitated. She wasn't sure what Ginny would think.

"Well, he told me that he'd liked me since the Yule Ball my fourth year, your third."

Ginny snorted with laughter.

"It isn't funny!" Hermione huffed, growing redder.

Ginny tried to cease her outburst, but a few more chuckles escaped before she could gain composure.

"Hermione," she said, shaking with the ghosts of laughter.

"It is CLEAR that he's had a thing for you. I mean, it's sort of like a – er, what was it? The Shick-speere play? The one that muggles put on? You're like the Julie of that play!"

Hermione smiled at her attempt to remember muggle literature.

"Yes, I suppose it is a sort of star-crossed-lovers tale. I keep waiting for him to tell me that I'm a useless mudblood like he did before and just end it." Her tone was sarcastic at first, but grew a bit more concerned.

Ginny noticed the change in her attitude and placed a comforting hand on hers.

"I saw you two, trust me. That man will NOT tell you such a thing."

"He is starting to open up a bit more, I guess. It's just – his family… I was TORTURED in that house, Ginny. His family would kill me if they even suspected a relationship between us."

Ginny looked thoughtful.

"Maybe that doesn't matter to him. Hermione, he's not the childish teenager we knew from Hogwarts. I saw a truly changed person." She was fierce when she spoke the words; passionate, almost like she was angered.

"I suppose. Enough of me. How are you and Harry?"

Ginny's face fell, and her eyes grew dark, nearly blending with the night sky.

"Distant, as always." She muttered.

"Has he not talked to you YET?" Hermione nearly yelled.

"SHH!" Ginny hissed.

"I will KILL that boy." Hermione grumbled.

"I just don't know what's been up with him, lately. I thought everything was going brilliantly until a few weeks ago." She frowned.

"Obviously he isn't going to grow a pair of resurrection stones and do it, so YOU'RE going to  
>have to talk to him, for Merlin's sake!" Hermione fumed.<p>

"Woah, calm down. I'm sure it's just stress."

Ginny wasn't convincing Hermione OR herself.

"Let's go inside, eh? I bet the rest are wondering where we're at." Hermione tried to calm down.

As if on cue, Ron bursted out of the door and said,

"OI! Dinner's READY! I have NEWS!"

He slammed the door as quickly as it had opened and disappeared inside.

"For him to be my brother, I really can't stand him sometimes." Ginny glared after the door.

Hermione laughed heartily.

"Ginny, you don't' have to put up with him nearly twenty-four seven. Thank Merlin I got a different partner than HIM."

"Hm, I'll bet you ARE happy with your partner." Ginny drawled slyly.

Hermione swatted her on the arm.

"Oh, come off it. Let's go."

They walked to the door, side by side. Hermione pulled at the knob and opened it. What she saw was chaos. There was a plethora of witches and wizards, some of which Hermione didn't even know. She spotted Luna talking animatedly with Ron about Wrackspurts. Hermione made a beeline for them so she could avoid awkward conversations with a random stranger.

"… and they're INVISIBLE!" Luna sighed dreamily as Hermione walked up.

"That sounds fascinating, that does." Ron said genuinely.

"I could give you more information about them later, if you'd like. It's all rather useful." Luna was pleased.

"Sure, Loony- Luna."

Luna didn't seem to catch his slip-up, she just drifted over to a very distraught looking Harry and sparked up a conversation with him. No matter how bad a day someone was having, Luna was the right person to make it better. Harry even cracked a bit of smile when she was educating him further on Nargles.

"Alright, enough chatter. Time for dinner!" Mrs. Weasley had to shout over the crowd.

Hermione placed her plate of cookies on the table next to a large roast turkey. It all smelled delicious. The aroma floating through the air, allowing everyone to get a mere taste of what was coming. Hermione saw Mcgonnogall, Hagrid, Luna, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Teddy Lupin; she didn't know anyone else in the crowd. The bunch of people began heaping food onto their plates, grabbing one of everything. The call of Mrs. Weasley's cooking was much too hard to resist.

"HOLD IT!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

The group pulled all sorts of grumpy faces, but allowed the plump witch to speak.

"BEFORE we begin our dinner, Ron has an announcement. " She smiled at Ron.

He stood up, turning a bit red, like Ron always did.

"I, er-"

Mrs. Weasley couldn't handle it.

"Ron's on the Puddlemere United Quidditch team!" She yelled.

"WHAT?" Harry shouted.

The rest of the table's mouths dropped. Hermione turned to Ginny for an explanation, but  
>Ginny just shrugged. She didn't know any more than Hermione. Ron was growing even more red by the moment, soaking up all of the shocked and surprised faces at the table.<p>

"W-what?" Hermione asked.

"Well, er – I decided to try out. They put in ad in the Prophet. Oliver Wood played for them as Keeper, but he is in ***. Mungo's due to a bad head injury. He's going to be out for a few  
>weeks. I'm just filling in. Nothing big."<p>

"Nothing BIG?" Mrs. Weasley asked furiously.

"Ron, this is HUGE!" Harry roared, a giant grin on his face.

"Honestly, boys. They never grow up." Hermione muttered to Ginny.

Harry had been out of sorts for a while, but as SOON as Quidditch was mentioned, he was all over it.

"I know, I know." Ginny said dejectedly.

She frowned at her plate, looking focused and sad.

"Do you want to go for a Butterbeer or something tomorrow, Ginny?"

"I can't, I'm starting the Ministry job tomorrow." Ginny said a tad reluctantly.

"Oh, right. Work." Hermione muttered.

While the rest of the table was downing Butterbeers and showering Ron with congratulations,  
>Hermione sat in her seat thinking about what work was going to be like the next morning. She really looked forward to seeing Malfoy now that she KNEW he wasn't going to shun her.<br>She caught herself going back to the moments of that day she liked best. The story, the conversations, the kisses….

" 'Mione, why are you smiling?" Ron asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"You made Keeper!" She recovered smoothly.

"Congratulations!"

Hermione got up and gave Ron a hug. When she pulled away from him, she could see his  
>face even redder than before. He had a strange look, so she awkwardly sat back down and began digging into some sprouts.<p>

"Hermione, can I talk to you for a moment?" Said Harry's voice somewhere above her.

She looked up to see him looming over her, his once happy expression turned sour and sullen.

"Er, what did I do?"

"You didn't do anything." He said.

"So?"

He gave an exasperated look to her.

"Let's just go outside, somewhere more private."

Ginny looked at Hermione questioningly, as if demanding a response for her. She shrugged, indicating she had no idea what was going on.

Hesitantly, Hermione got up, abandoning her full plate of delicious food and following Harry to the garden. He was shaking ab it the way out., looking conflicted and distraught.

"Erm, Harry? Are you alright?" She inquired in a concerned voice.

"I need to talk to you." He said once they got to a patch of grass about ten yards away from the burrow.

"What is it?"

"Something that's been bothering me for a long time." He admitted.


	35. Chapter 35

Thank you guys for reading, I really am glad most of you enjoy it. I know the chapters are a bit short at the moment, but I have a killer migraine. I hope you can understand. When it goes away, I'll be able to post longer and more. Reviews are appreciated :D

Harry's sparkled intensely, like polished emeralds. The look in them was beginning to frighten Hermione. She went back in her mind she was talking to Draco about their relationship, and he brought Harry up.

-"You honestly think that Weasel is the ONLY one that has a thing for you? Potter practically  
>worships the ground you walk on, Granger."<p>

"Harry has Ginny, Draco. He doesn't like me in that way."

"Being in a relationship hasn't a thing to do with it, Granger."

"You're mad, Draco."

"We'll see." –

She felt a sick, sinking sensation in her stomach. Harry was simply looking at her, but his expression conveyed more than words could explain.

"Hermione, you know I really care about you."

"Oh, Merlin. Malfoy was right." She thought miserably.

"Yes, Harry, we're best friends." She swallowed the strange feeling in her throat.

Harry sighed.

"Yeah, we're best friends. I just needed to ask you something." He stated in a strained voice.

"Go ahead."

He took a breath.

"Hermione, I know that you and Malfoy have been stuck together on a case together, and I can see you're becoming friends. I can see how he looks at you sometimes. Hermione, I think he's going to wind up hurting you somehow. You can't trust him. You're defending him an awful lot lately, and it's concerning. I don't want you to be sucked up by an charm that snake may have." He said the last sentence with rage.

Hermione was somewhat relieved. At least it hadn't been a confession of love, even though it seemed like it was going to be. Harry looked like he hadn't said all he had wanted, though.  
>The relief melted away when she realized that Harry DID see how Hermione and Malfoy were acting, lately.<p>

"Why would you think he would want ME, Harry? I'm a mudblood, remember?" She shuddered as she said the cursed word.

He looked confused, battling between the two theories.

"I'm not stupid, Hermione, I see!"

"Harry, you're being ridiculous. This is the pureblood prat FERRET that we're talking about!"

He didn't look quite convinced. Hermione groaned.

"Harry, you don't have to worry about that. Even if those WERE his intentions, then it wouldn't be your business."

That was the wrong thing to say. Harry's face grew contorted with anger and hurt.

"He was a DEATH EATER! You know how he treats girls? Do you know how many times he's called you a mudblood?"

"HE ISN'T LIKE THAT, ANYMORE! And it wouldn't MATTER, because those AREN'T his intentions! He doesn't even like me, I'm A MUDBLOOD!" Hermione shouted.

It seemed useless at this point to be outside. The whole house could probably hear their conversation. Harry realized this, then toned it down. The look on Hermione's face seemed to be honest, so he backed up.

"You're right, I'm being too rash." He whispered.

"It definitely wouldn't be the FIRST time." She said, half-teasing, half-annoyed.

"I just wanted to check up on you. Like I said… I don't like the way he looks at you." He spat in disgust.

"Harry, it's MALFOY. The only looks he gives me are of disgust and contempt. You have nothing to worry about."

She was relieved she'd managed to semi-convince Harry, but she doubted he'd let the subject drop completely.

"We should probably go back inside – they're going to miss us." Hermione smiled.

"I'm not going back. I'm going to go home. It's been a long day." Harry said plainly.

"What? You should at least tell Ginny goodbye." Hermione complained.

"Eh - I don't think so."

"Harry James Potter, march yourself in there RIGHT NOW." Hermione pointed to the burrow.

He was taken aback, but he followed her orders and walked to the burrow. She followed, grateful that their talk was over. If he'd asked a few more questions, he would have figured it all out. The room was quiet when they got back in, and Ginny was looking at Harry curiously. Hermione took her seat next to her, and began to eat the cold food on her plate.  
>Harry appeared behind Ginny and kissed her swiftly on the head.<p>

"Bye. Congratulations, Ron." He said quickly, then hurried outside.

The unmistakable crack of the disapparation filled the air a moment later. Ginny looked up at Hermione.

"What was that all about? He left so quickly."

Hermione gave her a look as to say, "I'll tell you later."

Ginny nodded, concentrating on one of Hermione's cookies.

"Hermione, did Harry get a bad case of Salivicus Gnombus? It's possible since you were out in the garden. Gnomes are about at this hour." Luna said wisely, looking from across the table.

Ron was clearly trying to repress a snort, but failed, so he turned it into a cough. Hermione  
>glared at him, then turned to Luna.<p>

"No, he just had a bit of a long day, I guess. Stress from work…"

Luna looked slightly crestfallen, but started up a conversation with Ron on Gnome saliva's beneficial characteristics.

"What happened?" Ginny whispered.

"He doesn't like Malfoy. He's being childish." Hermione whispered back, rolling her eyes.

Ginny raised her eyebrow.

"Why does he care? It's your life."

"I know. It's just a grudge he has against him. He still sees him as a childish Death Eater."

Ginny shook her head.

"Even Neville could see that Malfoy's different."

Hermione nodded.

"Have you heard from Neville, recently?" She asked in a regular voice.

"Yes, I have. He's still teaching at Hogwarts since Professor Sprout retired." Ginny smiled.

"That boy and his plants…" Hermione trailed off.

"Well, it's something he's good at, so why not?" Ginny grinned.

Hermione laughed.

"Anything on how Hogwarts is doing?"

"He said McGonagall is one of the best headmistresses Hogwarts had ever seen – but that isn't surprising. She's strict, that woman."

"I liked her, too." Luna called.

"She gave me a hard time." Ron commented.

"And for good reason, Mr. Weasley." McGonagall said from behind Hermione.

Ron's ears pinked up, slowly draining into his face.

"You were quite the nuisance, weren't you?"

To everyone's surprise, she grinned widely at them all.

"Congratulations, though. I always thought you were a bit of a sloppy player, myself. You got the job done, nonetheless."

She put a hand on Hermione's shoulder and remained smiling.

"Er, thanks?" Ron said.

"Miss Granger, I was wondering If I could ask you a favor? Alone."

Hermione smiled at her.

"Certainly, professor."

She stood up.

"We could go to the sitting room."

McGonagall nodded curtly, then followed Hermione.


	36. Chapter 36

-It's a bit short. My migraine isn't going away, and I really needed to update – It's not that good at the moment. It's just a filler chapter, the next one will be better. I am thankful for your patience. I hope you enjoy what little I have.

Hermione and McGonagall sat on a sofa, and McGonnagall got a serious look on her face.

"Ms. Granger, as you full know, we don't have very many professors to take on extra jobs at  
>Hogwarts, correct?"<p>

"Yes, professor."

"Nonsense. Call me 'Minerva', please." She smiled tightly.

"Ok, M-M-Minerva.." She said it hesitantly, not wanting to be scolded or given a detention.

"I was hoping that you might be able to substitute for me next week, as I will be leaving with  
>Professor Slughorn to Durmstrang for a meeting." She analyzed Hermione through her glasses.<p>

"Of course, that means a lot to me, professor – Er, Minerva."

McGonagall beamed at her.

"Excellent. I'm still to find a Potions professor to take over Horace's job. Remember – this lasts a week. I've informed your boss that you'll be taking on the job. She's fine with it, as long as you work diligently before you leave."

"Professor, how'd you know I-"

"Hermione," she said maternally.

"I very well know how capable you are, and I doubted you'd refuse." She smiled.

"Thank you, Minerva."

"It's not a problem at all, dear."

"Do you know who you're going to hire for Potions?" She asked curiously.

"I'm not sure yet, but I must decide soon. It's going to be murder pulling this together." She sighed.

"If you need help-"

"Thank you, Miss Granger, but I can handle it." She said, cutting her off.

Hermione nodded. It pleased her to know that McGonagall would go to her first. She supposed she'd been something of a favorite of hers.

"Well, I must leave now, but I appreciate you taking the job. We'll mainly be working on transfiguring birds into cooking utensils – easy. Whoever takes the Potions position will be sharing a dormitory with you. There are separate rooms in the dormitory, but you'll be in close quarters with them. We can't really add another at the moment, so I hope you don't mind."

"Certainly not, professor. It's quite alright."

McGonagall smiled at her fondly and got up. Without another word, she exited the room. Hermione stood, thinking about how good it would be to revisit Hogwarts. She groaned internally at the thought of the feast foods. She could practically taste it…

"Hermione?" Ginny's voice came from the archway to the living room.

"Yeah?" She looked up.

"What did McGonagall want?" She walked over and perched herself on the sofa next to Hermione.

Hermione was practically glowing. She couldn't hide her excitement.

"I get to teach at Hogwarts!" She burst out, grinning like an idiot.

A look of surprise crossed Ginny's face.

"What will you be teaching, Professor Granger?" she said, snickering.

"I get to teach Transfiguration; McGonagall and Slughorn have to go to a meeting at Durmstrang."

"Meeting for what, exactly?"

Hermione frowned.

"I don't know. She just needed substitutes."

"You said Slughorn is going, too, right? I wonder who's going to teach Potions." Ginny mused.  
>Hermione shrugged.<p>

"I just hope it's someone who's halfway intelligent. I have to share a dormitory with them."

She winced internally at the thought. She wasn't keen on being close with someone she didn't know. She'd stay out of their way.

"Wow. I hope you don't get a pervert." Ginny giggled.

"Oh, shut it, Ginny. I'm more worried about whoever it is jumping out of their skin when they see my morning hair."

"It is rather frightening." Ginny chuckled.

"Believe me – I know." Hermione laughed with her.

Hermione glanced at the wristwatch on her arm and sighed.

"I'd better be going soon. I have to go to the Ministry pretty early in the morning."

"Wait," Ginny said in a slightly shaky voice.

"Yes?"

"Can we go together? I don't really like the idea of being there without a familiar face." Her face looked scared, and she was biting her bottom lip in anxiety.

Hermione smiled warmly. She felt a sisterly bond with Ginny. She was one of the few girls  
>Hermione could say knew her well. She would do anything for Ginny.<p>

"Of course."

Ginny shot her a thankful look, then said,

"Well, you can go ahead and go. I'll get Ron to clean up. Everyone else will be leaving pretty soon, as well."

"Ginny?"

Ginny looked at her expectantly.

"Just – er, be PATIENT with this Harry thing. I've known him since I was eleven, he gets like  
>this from time to time. You just have to talk to him and be -"<p>

"Patient." Ginny smirked.

"Right."

"I'm just worried that he's seeing another girl." The corners of her mouth turned down.

"Ginny! He's been in love with you since our sixth year!" Hermione exclaimed.

"That doesn't mean a thing." Ginny muttered.

Malfoy's words echoed in Hermione's ears.

"A relationship doesn't mean a thing…"

She shook that away, trying to clear her thoughts.

"Patience." Was all she said.

Ginny nodded.

"I'm just getting tired of these mixed signals he's been sending for the past week or so. It's  
>really getting to me." She bit down on her lip harder, puncturing the skin.<p>

"You're reading into it too much." Hermione said uncertainly.

Ginny laughed darkly.

"Of all people to tell me that -"

Hermione grimaced.

"I know, I know. But just wait it out. You won't regret it."

Ginny sighed and looked at the ground.

"Get home, we're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

Hermione patted her consolingly on the shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ginny."

She strode out of the sitting room, hearing the unmistakable sound of a sniffle as she left.


	37. Chapter 37

As some of you know, I am writing a story entitled, "Just a Mudblood"  
>In one of the chapters, there is a story called "Gwendolyn and her Enchanted Goblins".<br>Well, I've decided to write that story as a side to "Just a Mudblood".  
>If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so.<br>This is supposed to be a sort of fairy tale, so it is short, and there will NOT be more to me posting. It's just a side project. It's SUPPOSED to be a bit overly dramatic – it sort of aids in the development of Draco's character.

In a small town off the road of Godric's Hollow, there lived a small witch named Gwendolyn. She was a very lonely girl, as her mother died in an unfortunate Dark Wizard incident. She put on a brave face for her father; if she showed signs of weakness, she was banished to her small bedroom shared with a few mice. She was a poor girl; they hadn't a galleon to their name. Her day consisted of hunger pains, loneliness, and a great deal of imagination. Being wealthy wasn't important to Gwendolyn. She'd much rather fantasize about adventuring to Siberia to meet the bloodthirsty vampires, or fighting dragons to save the king. She preferred it to prancing about in fancy dresses and fussing about hair.

Most of her little games were centered around becoming the greatest witch in the world, earning her father's happiness and hoping that maybe he'd smile at her just once. She'd longed for her father's praise, the pain of being ignored chipping bits of her vivaciousness away. And yet, she loved her father deeply. One day, when her father was looking for work, Gwendolyn decided to explor. There was a beautiful garden behind their tiny house, bearing an array of brightly colored wild flowers. She grinned at the potential of adventure flowing in the wind and breezing through her mind. She set to work, the setting of her story painting and staining itself in her smart and child – like mind. Today, she'd be visiting the fairy kingdom, saving the poor queen from an evil wizard that went as "Warlock of Zastada". In the middle of picking a crucial plant to her rescue of the queen, she heard a small squeak. She decided it was her mind playing tricks on her, so she dismissed it. She could get a bit TOO inventive sometimes. She reached to pick the key to her mission again, listening carefully to make sure.  
>"AH! What are you doing?" a tiny voice called, frightening Gwendolyn.<p>

"Yes, this is our home, silly girl!" Shouted a second angry voice.

Gwendolyn looked down to see two angry, small people looking up at her. She gasped, falling backward in an attempt to escape.

"Don't pay them any mind," said a third, much kinder voice.

Behind Gwendolyn was another small person, smiling at her widely.

"W-what ARE you?" She exclaimed, looking from person to person.

"Exceptionally unobservant, this one." Scoffed the first person who spoke.

"We're goblins, you insolent child."

Gwendolyn was speechless.

"Goblins?" She inquired uncertainly.

The second goblin looked at her rudely.

"That's wha' 'e said, 'in't it?"

"Garble, shut it." The kind goblin said firmly.

The one called 'Garble' shot him a menacing look.

"Yes, miss. We're Goblins. My name is Gabe." The kind Goblin said, offering her a tiny hand.

She shook it hesitantly, the goblins hand barely bigger than the tip of one of her fingers.

"This is Gulligan." He said pointing to the first rude Goblin. He merely grunted in response.

"What's your name?" He asked politely.  
>"Gwendolyn." She said a bit anxiously.<p>

"A pretty name for a pretty witch." Gabe smiled.

"Wha' are you doing out 'ere, girly?" Garble asked bitingly.

"P-playing." She answered, a bit scared by his tone, even though he was so small.

"Playing in OUR home?" Gulligan sneered in outrage.

"Leave the girl alone. She has every right to this garden as we do. Besides, she isn't causing us any harm." Gabe defended her.

Gulligan grumbled, but let it drop.

"What were you playing, Gwendolyn?" Gabe asked.

Gwendolyn studied each of the Goblins before answering. They were nearly identical, all small; no more than six inches tall. They looked young, faces full of a pink blush and rounded cheeks. Their blonde hair framed small, elfish faces, a pair of blue eyes set into them.

"I was just – just playing one of my imagining games. The queen fairy needs my help to save her from the Warlock of Zastada." She mumbled.

Gabe's face lit up.

"Do you mind if we join you?" He asked excitedly.

"I s'pose no-"

"No!" Gulligan said defiantly.

"She's a little girl! She can' know 'bout us!" Garble insisted.

Gabe looked up at her.

"You won't tell, will you?"

Gwendolyn desperately wanted friends, and Gabe was kind enough to play with her, even if his friends didn't like the idea.

"I'll take your secret to the grave. Only, can I tell my father? He's in desperate need of some sort of happiness. My mother's death has saddened us both; he hasn't cracked a smile at me since. I think he doesn't like me, and this would cheer him up!"

Gabe looked a bit hesitant, but answered.

"Of course. Now, let's save that queen!"

After that day, Gwendolyn became good friends with Gabe. Garble and Gulligan came around, hesitant at first. They loved the girl like she was one of their own, treating her like family.

One morning before her father went to find work, Gwendolyn told him of her adventures with the Goblins.

"Gabe is brilliant, dad! You'd love him!" She concluded an adventure story happily.

"You don't need this nonsense. You're filling your head with foolish imaginings." He snapped at her.

"But mum always said - "

"She isn't alive anymore. I suggest you put away these made up characters and wisen up." He said coldly.

From that day forth, Gwendolyn wasn't allowed outside. She was locked away in her room, left to wither away in her own loneliness.

"It's for your own good, child." Her father would say.

"But they're real!" Gwendolyn would protest in reply.

"NO! NOTHING good or happy exists. It's an evil world, your mother is PROOF!" He shouted, a shard of pain piercing his menacing tone. It destroyed him to talk of Gwendolyn's mother.

Gwendolyn fell ill, a fever of sorts taking over her small, fragile body. One day while she lay in bed, a rapping sound came from her window. Gabe climbed through, a worried look mixed with accomplishment coloring his elfin features.

"GABE!" She mustered hoarsely.

"Gwen!" He said sadly, climbing over to her.

"My father says I'm not to play anymore." She managed in a solemn whisper.

"We miss you. Garble told me to say :  
>'Get that bloomin' girl ova 'ere now!'"<p>

Gwendolyn forced a weak smile.

"We mi-" Gabe was cut ooff by the sound of Gwendolyn's door flying open.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Her father cried.

He'd caught Gabe around his tiny body before he could escape.

"Father!" Gwendolyn tried to protest, but was too weak.

"This will end NOW." Her father said, a pained and agonized look on his face.

Gwendolyn heard nothing but the shrieks of her friends and blasts of her father's wand ten mintues later. Tears leaked from her eyes, dehydrating her sickened body more than necessary. Her father came in, a somber look on his face, five minutes after.

"Foolishness." He spat.  
>"It's over now. Maybe this will help you recover."<p>

Even as much as her father had hoped, his prediction had been wrong. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she couldn't hold on much longer.

Her father was bringing in water when he saw her not breathing very well.

"Gwendolyn!" his face fell.

He rushed to her side, knocking over many objects in the process. He fought to get to her hand, lacing her frail, bony fingers in with his own.

"I'm just s-s-sorry I c-c-c-couldn't m-m-make you ….. p-p-p-proud to be your d-d-d-daughter." She huffed strenuously, a tear escaping her eye.

He looked at his daughter in a new light. The spark that his wife had was clear in her eyes, though growing dimmer with her last moments of life. He saw the spark finally vanish, and felt his daughter's hand grow limp in his own.

"Gwen…" He whispered shakily, tears pouring from his eyes for the first time since his wife had died.

Gwendolyn's funeral was small, only her father and a few old family friends. He laid her small body to rest in the large casket, lowering it into the ground somberly. On her tombstone, he'd carved three small creatures. The Goblins were etched above a sleeping angel, where it read,

"A true kindred spirit that was proof – imagination can save a life, the spark of the world. Even when the spark died out, the after glow remains, like the lumos of a wand."


	38. Chapter 38

It was a very dreary day, rain slapping against Hermione's face as she drew near the burrow. She decided not to take it as a bad omen; not wanting to sound like the fraud old bat, Professor Trelawny. She grimaced internally at the thought. A faint, luminescent glow of light framed the inside of a window, allowing Hermione to see Ginny pacing back and forth, wringing her hands together anxiously. Hermione felt a pang of sympathy towards Ginny. She had a fair bit on her plate, and her rocky relationship with harry only escalated her stress.

Hermione's cloak clung to her, sodding with the offending rain water. Her fast walk turned into a dead sprint as the rain grew heavier, like she was a child being taunted by a large bully. She reached the door, panting with her exertion. She gave it a quick knock, and was greeted by Ron about a minute later.

"Hermione?" He said confusedly.

"No, Harry. Of course it's me you daft boy." She teased.

"Very funny. What are you doing here? Not that I mind of course…" He said with a smile.

"I'm here to escort your very nervous and stressed sister to work."

"What? I could have done it!" he said defensively.

"No offense, Ron, but this calls for a more delicate approach. You aren't the most sensitive person in the world. She needs me. I'm as much as a sibling to her as you are."

Ron nodded, agreeing with her.

"How are YOU, Hermione? What did McGonagall want?"

"Oh, she wanted me to take over her Transfiguration class for a week; it's no big deal." She said nonchalantly.

"That's a HUGE deal, I don't know WHAT you're on about!" He roared proudly.

He opened his arms and pulled a very reluctant Hermione into them. He hugged her tightly, nearly knocking all the breath she had out of her.

"Ron – er, can't … b-breathe!" She managed.

"Sorry." He said, grinning like he wasn't sorry at all.

Ginny came walking out of the door a moment later, wearing a very pale and sick expression.

"Ready to go?" Hermione asked maternally.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Ginny replied.

"Don't be nervous – they'll love you. I'll introduce you to Kendrina, myself."

"I'll cross my fingers for you on that one." Ron said thickly.

Hermione shot him a warning glare, so he looked away quickly, not able to withstand the intensity.

"Merlin, Hermione. If we- you have kids when you get older, I don't envy them." He realized he'd slipped, but Hermione pretended not to notice.

They disapparated.

"Ginny, hurry along, this way!" Hermione shouted across the hall.

Ginny's eyes were full of fear; something Hermione never expected out of the fierce redhead.

"Ah, coming!" She shrieked, her hair licking at her face like an open flame.

"Stick by me – it's VERY easy to get lost in this place." Hermione said when Ginny reached her.

"So, where do we go now?"

Hermione thought for a moment.

"We have a few minutes to kill, so I'll show you my office and prep you on Kendrina."

"Alright, then. I'm going to need all the information I can get." She gulped.

Hermione took her hand gingerly and wove them in and out of the crowd, locating her office in the hustle and bustle.

"It's rather large." Ginny commented, impressed.

"Well, they need the room to force paperwork upon me." Hermione grimaced.

She walked through the door, motioning for Ginny to follow her.

"Wow, I like it!" Ginny exclaimed.

"You came in on a good day – I'm dead messy and unorganized if I know someone's not going to be in here besides myself." Hermione admitted, smiling.

Ginny took a seat opposite Hermione and put her hands together.

"So, Kendrina, is it? I've heard awful things form Harry and Ron." She said nervously.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Truthfully, she isn't bad. She can be very firm, but you have to be on her good side. It doesn't take a lot, just don't talk back to her and do what she says. I guess if there were a such thing as favorites of hers, I'd be on the list. She doesn't like it when you try to suck up to her though – many have lost a job over that, if you can imagine."

"Hermione, no back talking? Do you KNOW me?" Ginny said miserably.

"Very well, actually. YES, Ginny, I KNOW you. But I also know that you're good at following directions, and you're DEAD observant. She values that in her employees."

Ginny looked uncertain, but believed Hermione well enough.

"I have to use the loo – can you tell me where it is?"

"Down the hall, last door on your left, you can't miss it." Hermione said, smiling.

Ginny rushed out of the office, leaving Hermione to sit by herself. She looked over at her in tray, looking to see if there was any paperwork to be filled out for the day. Much to her surprise, there was none. There was, however, a card addressed to her. It had a Hogwarts seal on it! She opened the letter, her fingers shaking. It read:

To Miss Hermione Jean Granger,

We would like to welcome you back to Hogwarts with open arms, and thank you for taking your time to instruct the Transfiguration class. You will be assigned a dorm with your fellow Potions instructor, whom you'll be finding out about at exactly eleven o'clock AM this day. We hope you enjoy your time back, which will begin next week on Monday.

You will eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the dining hall – much like when you were a student, yourself. There are no new teachers that have been assigned since you've left, and many of your old ones are looking forward to seeing you. Professor Binns would like me to relay his sincerest appreciation for you paying attention in his class. Professor Hagrid would like me to tell you that he misses you, and you'll be expected for tea and rock cakes in his cabin every afternoon.

I would like to say that I am very pleased you took this position. Maybe in the future, you'll like to come on as a permanent fixture in our staff.

My sincerest appreciation,

Minerva McGonagall

Hermione was a bit disappointed. She'd thought they'd be telling her who the potions instructor was going to be. She was elated that all of her old teachers still remembered her, especially the old ghost, Professor Binns.

She smiled to herself and put the letter away, not hearing the quiet footsteps coming from behind her. A pair of arms wrapped around her, taking her by surprise. The hands attached to the arms covered her eyes.

"Guess who!" a voice commanded, a trace of a laugh in the person's voice.

"WHOEVER it is will be getting a dangerous jinx casted at them to where they can't move for the rest of their life, or a punch in the face." She warned.

The hands immediately dropped.

"Feisty, aren't we today, Granger?" the voice drawled.

"Well, you know me, the Goody Gryffindor doesn't take kindly to those who startle her." She felt a smile light up her face as she turned towards the voice.

Malfoy stood there, a corner of his mouth turned up into a sly, but happy smirk.

"You ruined my fun." He pouted.

"You nearly made me scream. Don't do it again." 

She jabbed her pointer finger at his chest.

"Miss me?" He asked.

"Can't say I have, considering you seem to get a thrill out of frightening me."

He pretended to look hurt.

"Well, fine then. I'll leave you to your office, enjoying it without me. Without me here. Here alone without me." He turned to walk away.

She tackled him into a hug, turning him towards her.

"Slippery little Slytherin, aren't we?" She whispered.

He smiled, cupping her chin with his hand, pulling her face towards his. He leaned in.

The door then creaked, causing him to jump a few feet away from her.

"Oh, thanks for the capture advi-" he stumbled.

"Just be glad it was ME that caught you." Said a smirking Ginny from the doorway.

She looked at them smugly, a smile on her face.

"Right – Well, best be going. I'll see you later, Hermione." He shook her hand formally and walked out of the room.

Ginny looked after him.

"Wow. He must really like you. Handshake – cute." She teased.

Hermione blushed.

"Oh, sod off. Let's go to Kendrina's office now."

"I'm following you." Ginny said, still grinning like a child who'd caught their sibling doing something wrong.

"Mrs. Harwick?" Hermione asked, knocking at her door lightly.

The door opened quickly.

"Granger. What is it?" She appraised.

Hermione pointed to Ginny.

"Ahh, Ginevra, is it?"

Ginny nodded, not bothering to correct her.

"Right, well, get in here. We've a lot to discuss. We need to get your assignment. There will be no need to join us, Granger." She added as Hermione walked in behind the two.

"Bu-"

"I assume you've corrected your work relationship with Mr. Malfoy. You'll need to talk to Weasley and Potter about that, as well."

"Yes, Hermione, your WORK relationship." Ginny whispered loud enough only for Hermione to hear.

"Shut it, Ginger." Hermione teased as the door closed.

She decided to find Harry. She would talk to him about the whole Hogwarts thing so he'd be able to cover for her at work. It didn't take long. He was in his office, where she'd expected him to be.

"Hermione." He said, looking up from his paperwork.

"Alright there, Harry? You left a little too quickly last night."

"I had other things going on."

"Right." She said, unconvinced.

"Well, I thought I'd tell you. I got a job at Hogwarts. I'm going to be the Transfiguration teacher for a week. McGonagall and Slughorn have a meeting at Durmstrang, so I won't be here. Could you cover my paperwork with Ronald?"

Harry looked curious, but approving.

"Congratulations, Hermione. I'm happy for you. Of course I'll cover for you." He smiled.

"I just wish they'd tell me who was going to be the potions instructor. I'm a bit worried. I have to share a dorm with them." She said, biting her lip.

"Oh, go on, Hermione. Don't let that ruin it for you." Harry smiled.

Hermione really did like Harry when he wasn't being an insufferable arse. He was just extremely tactless and well – stupid sometimes. He was her best friend, though.

"I find out at eleven o' clock."

Harry glanced down at his watch. He then looked at her, smiling.

"That's in about ten minutes." He informed her.

Hermione gasped.

"Come with me! I don't want to be alone when I find out."

Harry looked at her funnily, but nodded his head.

"Sure. Just let me finish this last sheet." He signed the bottom with flourish, then set his quill down.

Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him from the chair, nearly yanking his arm out of socket.

"Ouch, 'Mione! Be gentle!"

Hermione was sitting in a large chair, about three feet away from Harry. She was wringing her hands.

"How much time left?" She asked anxiously.

"About two minutes, once again." He sighed.

Hermione nodded. A cracking sound came from the window, and a large owl was perched on the outside.

"Open it for him!" Hermione shrieked.

Harry tried to protest, but saw the look on her face and got up as he was told. He undid the latch for the owl, and it swooped in, a parchment tied to his leg. The owl nuzzled Harry's finger as he gave it a sickle. Harry untied the letter and thrust it at Hermione, smiling at the look on his face.

She shakily opened it.

Miss Hermione Jean Granger,

We are to inform you that we've selected a Potions master who will join you for your week at Hogwarts. He is someone you know, and we hope you can get along. The rules of the dorm must first be given.

(Hermione groaned as she read that, wanting to get to who it was)

1 – You must attempt to be civil with your partner.

2 – There will be NO fighting.

3 – You must put the students first.

4 – You will come up with a password together.

As long as you follow all of these rules, your stay here should be a fun and enjoyable one.

Your partner has been selected by Professor Horace Slughorn out of ten possible applicants. It will be Harry James Potter. We hope you will have a good time, and we are excited to see the both of you at Hogwarts on Monday.

Minerva McGonagall

Hermione looked up at Harry, who was smirking at her happily.


	39. Chapter 39

"When did you find out about this?" She asked, her voice dropping a few octaves.

"Actually, when I got home last night. It came as a bit of a shock, that's for sure."

"Guess I should have known on some level. You always were Sluggy's prized possession." She mused.

Harry looked uncomfortable.

"I dunno if I'd go THAT far."

"Oh, come off it, Harry."

"Do you want to sit together on the train ride there? I know you're dead awful at flying." He teased.

"Thanks, I appreciate that. But yes, why not? It'll be like old times' sake." She smiled at the thought.

"Except Ron won't be there."

Hermione was secretly thrilled. Ron was annoying her a lot more often than he usually did. She sighed.

"Yeah… poor Ron."

"Do you get an assistant for Transfiguration?" He asked.

Hermione frowned.

"An assistant?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, I get one for potions. I'm expecting it to be someone a lot younger – a trainee."

Hermione looked thoughtful.

"Hm, maybe I do! I'll ask McGonagall. Harry, the only reason you ever got through Potions was because of that bloody book." She said, a bit more aid in her tone than she'd meant.

"Hey! I got an "exceeds expectations" on my O.W.L.S." He said defensively.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"These are more difficult potions, Harry!" she exclaimed.

Harry smiled at her.

"Follow me to my office, I'd like to show you something." He said, a bit deviously.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

He sighed in exasperation

"Just follow me, Hermione."

He led her out of the office, meandering between the large groups of Ministry wizards carefully. They got to his office, and he unlocked the door, opening it and walking in. He strode over to his desk, then opened one of the drawers swiftly. From it, he extracted a tattered looking book.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Hermione screeched.

"Shut it, will you?" He said in a hushed whisper.

She shot a very angry look at him.

"You were SUPPOSED to get rid of it!" She accused.

A flood of images filled her head of Harry explaining how Malfoy was hit with that awful curse from that damn book. Her eyes narrowed to slits.

"Come off it, I needed it. I'm not using it for bad things. Besides, I've memorized how to do most of the Potions. I used to read this book every night, Hermione. I was bound to pick up a few things. I only have to teach the kids how to do a Draught of Living Death."

Hermione wasn't appeased. She glared at him angrily.

"Harry, how the *** did you find that book?"

He looked at her sheepishly.

"Well, you know the Room of Requirement appears to whomever is in need of it, and supplies what the seeker needs…"

"I'm not an idiot, Harry, YES, I knew that. Get on with it!"

"Well, I really needed to learn how to do a potion one time a couple of years ago. I had to go to Hogwarts to visit Hagrid… so I decided to pay it a visit." He said, his face turning a bit pink.

"Harry. I've lost a lot of respect for you just now." Hermione said, disappointment apparent in her voice.

"I'm sorry – but it has the best instructions!" He said.

"And exactly how long have you kept it since then?"

Harry looked at his shoes. Hermione groaned.

"What am I going to do with you? Go to your office and do your work. I'll see you tomorrow." She said harshly.

He didn't say anything, but he left the room as she instructed, his head hung low. Hermione shook her head. She couldn't believe how stupid Harry was being.

"Might as well marry that bloody book…" she muttered to herself.

She immediately thought of Ginny after she said it. She wasn't sure why, but she did. She rushed out of Harry's office, looking for any sign of her or Kendrina. It didn't surprise her when she ran into someone in her attempt.

"Sorry!" she shouted.

"Hermione, it's me!" The redhead smiled down at her.

"Ginny! How was it? Are you alright?"

"Let's go to your office. I want to talk more about it. I don't have to do anything for the rest of the day – Kendrina said you could 'prep' me." She grinned.

Hermione smiled back at her.

"Erm, have you seen Draco?" She asked hopefully.

"No, I haven't. Wow, it's weird hearing you call him that." She said dubiously.

"I was just needed to ask him if we needed to do anything today. But obviously we don't, or Kendrina would've told me."

Ginny giggled.

"Oh, come off it. You know you just want to spend time with your 'Bad boy', don't you?"

Hermione flushed crimson.

"Oh, sod off. Come on, let's go."

~

"She really does like me, though, which surprised me." Ginny said, shaking her head.

"Of course she would." Hermione said loyally.

"I just nodded my head at everything she said, then added a few 'yes ma'ams.'"

"Borderline brown-nosing, Ginny." Hermione smiled.

"You're just mad she likes me more." Ginny teased.

"Not'all." Hermione said.

"Are you coming over later?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"I don't think so. Harry's starting to annoy me." She confessed.

"What has he done this time?"

Hermione debated on telling her. She didn't want her to be any more stressed out than she already was, so she decided to not.

"Just the usual…" She said unconvincingly.

Ginny decided to just accept her answer, so she changed the subject.

"So, did you find out who was going to be your room mate at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, Harry." She said with a frown on her face.

"HA! How did HARRY get the Slughorn job? He's dead awful at Potions!" She laughed.

"He was Slughorn's favorite; prized possession."

Ginny took that in, then nodded.

"Teacher's pet." She mumbled.

"I'm seriously getting sick of this, Ginny. I don't like it when you're upset. You have to work this out. NOW. He's somewhere around here. Go find him." Hermione said, frustrated.

"I will, I will."

"Now." Hermione demanded, pointing at her door.

"Bossy." Ginny giggled as she rose from her chair.

"But you love me for it."

"That's true." Ginny said as she left the room.

Hermione sighed, then glanced subconsciously to her in tray, looking for paperwork. It felt lonely without it being filled, in a way. She was so used to it; it was almost alien when there was nothing there. She had no idea what to do.

"Guess I'll walk around…" she muttered to herself.

She couldn't leave the Ministry until she was given the ok. She would either have to find Kendrina, or just wander around aimlessly with nothing to do. It was going to be a very long day.

~


	40. Chapter 40

Hey guys!  
>Long time, no see, right?<br>Ha, sorry for not updating Just A Mudblood any sooner than this. It's been ... well, HEL| trying to write this chapter. I'm not entirely happy with it, and I can guaruntee you that it wasn't easy. I really hope you enjoy it, nonetheless. My updating won't be as crappy as it has been from now on, I'm being honest. I've rewritten this chapter about five times trying to get good results. Thanks for being patient, and I hope you continue reading. It really has been a journey. I thank all of you for being so supportive.  
>As Hermione paced around trying to find something to occupy herself with, she decided to look for Kendrina, in spite of her better judgment. The Ministry was crowded as usual, so finding her would be like looking for a prisoner in a swarm of Dementors. She was on the third level of the large Ministry, and that seemed to be where EVERYONE was. She was on a very keen watch for Kendrina, but she couldn't help but notice that Draco wasn't anywhere to be seen, either. She trudged forward, not finding any sign of anyone familiar. She was about to give up, but she realized that wouldn't exactly help the situation. Emerald flames spilled from pots that were levitating in mid-air, making the bright Ministry that much brighter. Hermione sighed as she padded down the hall. There was a sound coming from behind her, but she wasn't sure what it was. She disregarded it and continued walking. She saw a shadow flash across the dancing emerald light.<p>"Just a trick of the light." She convinced herself.<p>

"Merlin, this place is scary, even in the day time." She said quietly to herself.

Then, a pair of lean arms wrapped around her, and she was being pulled into an empty office. A loud scream was budding in the back of her throat. A hand closed around her mouth, almost as if the person knew what she was about to do. Her eyes were widened with shock as she was pulled, not being able to see the culprit.

The person who held her captive closed the door, making it creak like a rocking chair. She held her breath, saying a silent prayer. She felt the long arms release her, and she immediately pivoted on her toe to be greeted by a flash of white blonde hair.

"DRACO! How DARE YOU! You scared me!" She screeched, punching him in the arm.

He smirked at her.

"Scared, Granger? I had to get your attention somehow. It looked like you were looking for someone." He said thoughtfully.

"As a matter of fact, I was." She raised her chin to him defiantly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. Keep looking for them. Just leave me all alone, thinking about what I was going to tell you." He sighed.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"What did you have to tell me?" She demanded.

"Oh, nothing important." He said in mock hurt.

"Continue looking for whoever it was you were looking for. Someone obviously more interesting than -"

"Draco Malfoy, if you don't tell me, I'm leaving right now." She threatened.

"Touchy today, aren't we?" He drawled.

He cracked a smile out of Hermione.

"What is it?" She asked in a lighter tone.

Draco beckoned around them at the office.

"You see this, Granger? THIS -" He paused for effect, earning an eye roll out of Hermione.

"This, my dear, is the office of none other than Draco Malfoy. I've been offered a promotion, and I'm to remain stationary here until I retire." He smiled wildly, not being able to contain his excitement.

Hermione gasped. She flew into his not-so-awaiting arms, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"Ooomf!" Came his muffled groan as she all but tackled him.

"That's great! You're going to be stuck seeing me every day FOREVER." Hermione smiled into his shoulder while she hugged him.

She felt him smile as his chin rested on her hair. He sighed contently.

"I know, how will I be able to handle it?" He asked, teasing her.

She pulled away, her eyes twinkling with delight.

"Shut it. Just drop the sarcasm and let this be nice for the both of us." She cocked her head to the side, smiling at him.

He felt his own grin grow larger as he looked at the pretty witch before him. He couldn't believe he hadn' t done anything about this sooner.

"Come to think of it again, who were you looking for?" He asked in wonder.

Hermione's cheeks were flustered as the blood rose beneath them. Draco noticed how cute it made her look. He stepped closer to her.

"Well, I was looking for Kendrina… but I was mostly looking for you." She looked at him, her amber eyes full of joy.

"Can't go on without me. I figured." He smirked.

"Hey, I-"

He pressed a finger to her lips.

"Because I can't go without you, either." He whispered, leaning closer to her.

"OH!" She exclaimed.

Malfoy got a startled look on his face, jumping back from her.

"Twitchy little ferret." She smiled. "I had to tell you something, too!" She remembered the news she wanted to tell him.

"What is it?"

There was a look on his face showing he knew more than he was trying to let on, so Hermione was a bit suspicious.

"I'm going to teach Transfigurations at Hogwarts for a week while Professor McGonagall and Slughorn are away." She said slowly.

Malfoy's face lit up in surprise, but there was something forced about it. Hermione could clearly see he was trying to hold back a smile.

"What do you know about it, Draco?" She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Continue." He said a bit more innocently than necessary.

"I'll be sharing a dorm with Harry, because he is Slughorn's substitute." She finished, acid leaking into the last part of her sentence.

"WHAT? They didn't tell me THAT!" His eyes widened with genuine surprise this time.

A grimace was appearing on his face, slowly draining in until it was a full scowl.

"Ah. So you DID know about this." Hermione said, smirking.

"I- Uh…" He started.

"That's what I thought. How long have you known?" She asked curiously.

"Well… McGonagall left me a letter a few days ago asking me to be an assistant…" He began.

Hermione gasped.

"HOW could you keep that from me?"

He looked taken aback.

"I didn't know she was going to pick you, or Potter." He sneered in disgust

Hermione gave him a dirty look, but she secretly agreed with him. Harry was beginning to get under her skin.

"May I continue?" He said after a moment..

She shot him a look, but nodded.

"Thank you. Well, I am going to be your assistant." He smiled.

"WHAT? Since when have YOU been good at Transfigurations?" She accused.

"No need to sound shocked." He said in a hurt voice.

"Well it's just-"

"Never mind it. I've been good at it since our fourth year, when that Moody bloke made me a ferret. I became quite interested after McGonagall put me right." He confessed. "I got top marks in her class after that."

Hermione was impressed. She'd never thought Malfoy would get picked. McGonagall didn't exactly have a soft spot for the Slytherins, much less anyone who wasn't madly smart. It was even more surprising that she'd pick HIM to be HER assistant.

"Sharing a room with POTTER." He grumbled.

Hermione smiled widely.

"I can't be sure, but I'd say you were jealous." She teased.

To her intense surprise, he nodded.

"Even if YOU don't fancy HIM, HE still fancies YOU. I don't think you know just quite how desirable you are." He said in a low voice.

Hermione shook her head in disbelief.

"I've told you before, I don't like Harry. He's a friend."

"I can guarantee you that he'll use this to his advantage." Malfoy's face pulled into the infamous Slytherin smirk.

"And I can guarantee YOU that I won't let him." Hermione smiled, leaning closer to him.

"Maybe you could ask McGonagall to switch?" He asked hopefully.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to ask McGonagall if I can change from rooming with Harry, my best friend since our first year, to YOU, my worst enemy since our first year?"

"Didn't think of that." He said sadly.

"I can promise you one thing, though."

"What?"

"I'll sit with you on the train there, and you'll DEFINITELY have time alone with me." She smiled and placed a delicate kiss on his lips. 


	41. Chapter 41

Hello, I have NOT given up "Just A Mudblood". I've been grounded, though. I won't be able to post until Friday, July 9th. I'm on right now because my mother is asleep XD Thanks for being patient – and I'm sorry. The reason I was grounded, ironically, is because I've been on my computer too much. (Mostly for writing this story). I'll be back!

Love you guys,

Riley.


	42. Chapter 42

Guys - I made a mistake.

It was all out of order, as some of you noticed. I was a bit confused. I forgot to post the chapter before what I'd posted originally. Sorry.

Malfoy pulled away from her kiss, a bit distraught.

"I still don't like you and Potter rooming together." He snarled.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"You'll get over it."

Malfoy put on a face that resembled a pout, but there was a vindictive rage glowing in his steely eyes. He looked away from her for a moment, trying to clear his thoughts.

"You know what? I have an idea."

He snapped his gaze back to her.

"What is it?"

She took a step back, then began walking around him.

"Well, I'll just tell Harry that I'm working late. But I could really go stay with you, if it bothers you that much."

Draco'*** changed hopeful.

"That could work. I must warn you, though. When it comes to my shower and bedtime  
>rituals, I take quite a while in the bathroom." He smirked.<p>

Hermione scoffed.

"Gotta keep up that look you've got going for you, huh?" She ran her fingers through his hair, causing the hairs to escape from their set way.

He pretended to be mad, but his smile couldn't be repressed. Hermione studied his hair.

"You know, I think in our third year's when you really got cute." She smiled.

"What? I've been adorable all my life." He protested.

Hermione laughed.

"I know, trust me, I know. I'm saying when you changed your hair from that overly-gelled look, you got a bit cuter."

The corners of his mouth turned up into a half smile.

"It really was a pain in the ar*se to put that in every morning. I guess my laziness paid off."

He snickered.

He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"So what's the plan for today?" She asked.

"Well, we have to go check with Kendrina. I think they're doing another surveillance today."  
>He frowned.<p>

Hermione's eyes widened. She was still frightened after what had happened the last time. She could still picture the man with the greasy blonde hair grinning at her like he was a cat about to catch a mouse. She shuddered.

"It'll be fine – probably NOTHING like the last time." He said, trying to reassure her.

"I guess. I just really wish this wasn't a part of the job."

"Paperwork seems like a lot of fun now, huh?" He asked, smirking at the dirty look she threw him.

"Ah, let's just go and get it over with." She grumbled in the process of pushing him away.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"You're way too easy to tease." He said as he followed her out of the office, taking one last look of it.

Hermione and Malfoy had managed to track down Kendrina without any major problems. Hermione was nervous about it; that wasn't doubtful. She kept replaying images from the last time in her head and calculating ways that it could all go wrong. Malfoy just quietly kept to himself, leaving her to her thoughts. He knew that trying to tease her more would only make things worse.

They were sitting in chairs, waiting for her to meet with them. Hermione's face was like an open book. Everything she was worrying about showed up on it, creating thin lines on her forehead. The anxiety was so clear in her eyes and body language. Malfoy debated on whether to reach for her hand and comfort her, but before he could do so, Kendrina walked in.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy." She greeted the two with a curt nod.  
>It shocked Malfoy to see that she wasn't going out of her way to be rude to him. He wasn't on<br>her good side, but it was a step up for sure. He noticed Hermione meekly nodded her head in Kendrina's direction.

"Alright there, Granger?" Kendrina inquired.

"Yes ma'am."

Kendrina's face scrunched together a bit in frustration, but she said nothing and continued.

"As you both fully know, you'll be patrolling today. Got our thinking caps on, I trust? We do NOT want a repeat of last time."

Malfoy was about to interrupt her, saying that they'd handled the situation in a perfect way, but decided against it when he saw her face. She could be a frightening woman when she wanted.

"You'll be stationed at the same residence, so it shouldn't be hard to find. You'll not be accompanied by anyone else; we're on low staff as it is. They're needed elsewhere. Potter and Weasley are going to a different building today – shut down Muggle office. We think they're using it for plans. There are many places we have under surveillance, but these two are of the utmost priority, which is why I need you two to do the job, and do it well." She gave Malfoy a look.

"Granger, I was going to have your friend Ginevra work on this with the pair of you, but it seems like no work would get done. You two are chums, I expect?" She smiled tightly at  
>Hermione, who was currently looking past her shoulder with empty eyes.<p>

"Oh, right." She muttered.

"Well, I suppose that's it, then. You can run along for now, Granger. I must have a word with your colleague."

Malfoy's mouth dropped open like he was going to say something, but Kendrina beat him to it.

"Off you go!"

Hermione'*** changed from emptiness to confusion. She knit her eyebrows together, looking at Malfoy as if to say, "What would she want with you?"

He shrugged, indicating he had no idea. He locked eyes with her for a moment, trying to convey to her that everything would be fine. She really didn't need reassurance – she was much better at defensive spells than he was, although he'd never admit it.

She looked away, hiding her face with her curly brown hair, then opened the door and walked out. Malfoy sighed in frustration. There was no getting to her.

"Muffliato." Kendrina said, her wand pointed at the door.

"Wai-"

"Mr. Malfoy. Ms. Granger has been a valued member of my team for years. She's a lot younger than the rest, too. She's the most dedicated and hardworking employee I have.  
>You've noticed I don't take a shine to just anyone." She snarled, narrowing her eyes at him.<p>

"b-"

"Let me finish. Ever since the two have you have been partners, I've noticed a large change in Granger. I'm not saying it's a good thing, I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm merely saying that I'm not sure if I like it. She looks bloody terrified!" Kendrina nearly screamed.  
>Malfoy's eyes widened as he looked at the small, bossy woman in a new light. She… she CARED about Hermione. He'd seen the way she'd acted towards everyone else, and now that he thought about it, Hermione was the only person she was remotely decent to. That HAD to mean something.<p>

"She was begging me to switch partners at first, and I told her to stick it out. If sticking it out is effecting her to this point, I'm thinking I should've obliged."

"Ma'am, I mean no disrespect, but that is not it at all. It's true, I didn't like her at first. We were enemies in school. That's why she wanted to switch partners. But, I have to say, I've changed a lot since then. I've gotten to know Hermione more, and we're actually pretty good friends now. That's not why she's upset, it isn't me. What happened – last time we patrolled, that is – really got to her. She's afraid someone's going to get hurt." He finished, surprising himself.

Kendrina was speechless for a moment. She regained herself.

"Granger knows that it's part of the job. Losing people, injuries, danger – it's all a part of the job. I need you to tell her that, since you're now such great friends." She said dubiously.

She leaned closer to him.

"And, if I hear about anything going on OUTSIDE of the Ministry, such as you hurting her in some way – I will make life a personal he|| for you. It may be my job to be professional inside of the work environment, but if something should happen outside of it, well, let's just say I doubt anyone would know." She whispered menacingly.

Malfoy gulped. She wasn't bluffing.

"Is that clear, Mr. Malfoy?" She said, leaning back.

Somehow, despite her small stature, she managed to tower over Malfoy. She looked like a hawk about to swoop for its prey.

"Crystal." He managed not to stammer.

"Excellent. Go." She said as she lifted the silencing charm from the door.

He walked out without looking back.

When Malfoy opened the door, Hermione was nearly knocked off of her feet. Apparently,  
>she'd been attempting to listen to their conversation.<p>

"Eavesdropping? I'd figure that was below you." He said in an amused tone.

"Oh, come off it. What'd she say to you? I couldn't hear a thing!"

Hermione seemed distracted on what had to be done that day, which was a nice thing for Malfoy. He didn't like seeing her upset.

"Just talking to me about the job. Scary woman, your boss."

"If she was talking to you about the job, then why did she need me to leave the room?" Hermione asked accusingly.

"Haven't the faintest idea." Malfoy tried to sound believable.

Hermione looked at him suspiciously, but let the issue drop.

"Let's go." She said, sounding like she was dreading it.

Malfoy slipped his hand into hers, weaving his fingers with hers. He marveled at the softness of her hand, surprised that they weren't rough from all the paperwork she did. They walked outside together and disapparated.

They were flung onto a mossy ground, covered in leaves and debris. Hermione groaned as she got up, but then gasped.

"We've been waiting for you." Were the only words Malfoy heard before he was being grabbed around the throat.

"Hermione. Get. Yourself. Out. NOW." Malfoy whispered urgently.

"Well, well well, I daresay this is Lucius' boy, am I correct?"

The man that had his hand closed around Malfoy's throat in a vice like grip was staring at him with a smirk.

"Shame, shame. I see they've broken you. You're working for THEM now." He spat in disgust.

Malfoy tried to jerk away, pulling at the man's arm.

"No. Didn't anyone ever teach you manners, Draco?" The wizard chided, much like a mother scolding their child.

Hermione saw the look in Malfoy's eyes. He was in agony, but it seemed like there was a fight in him. He wasn't going to take it. He glanced at Hermione and mouthed the words, "GO". She silently protested, pleading with her eyes, but he didn't budge. Hermione was torn. She didn't want to leave him there, she had to do something.

"Oh, seems you've brought a lovely young lady along." The man said, surveying Hermione.

"OH. I see. Miss… Granger, is it?" He released Malfoy and began swaggering towards her.

Malfoy dove into his pockets for his wand, his hands searching desperately around.

"So you're the mudblood. Pity." He said with distaste.

"That's right." Hermione raised her chin in defiance.

The man didn't say anything, just raised his eyebrow. He seemed amused.

"Brave, are we?" He chuckled.

"How DARE you talk to us!" screeched a voice much like Bellatrix Lestrange.

It couldn't have been her… she'd been dead for years! No, the voice was much higher pitched, much more sinister, if at all possible. Hermione looked in the direction the voice came from, seeing what looked like an exact copy of Bellatrix. She even wore the same evil smile, taunting her. A flash of white-blonde appeared behind the woman's head, swiftly and silently. Hermione squinted her eyes, and saw that it was Malfoy. He'd managed to find his wand and was raising it to the witch's throat.

In a swift motion, Malfoy had the witch in a chokehold, hindering her from any movement.  
>She attempted to open her mouth and scream, but he'd performed a non-verbal silencing charm on her. His wand was jabbed into her throat, making a concave dent in it. The expression on his face was ferocious, like he'd be ready to kill her in any second. Much of the other Death Eaters didn't realize this quickly enough, as Malfoy was so quick that it didn't register. He was holding his finger to his lips, telling Hermione to keep her mouth shut.<p>

"Filth first." The man said as he slowly walked towards Hermione, wearing a bored smirk.

He raised his wand, opening his mouth to utter the deathly incantation.

"Stupefy!" Malfoy shouted.

The man before Hermione stopped. Hermione grabbed her wand from her robe and screamed,

"Obliviate!"

A vacant expression registered on the man's face. Malfoy was body-binding the rest of the  
>Death Eaters. A slew of swear words escaped from his lips as looked at all of them.<p>

"Granger, GO!" He yelled.

"I am NOT leaving you here by yourself!" she protested.

Malfoy was in agony. It reminded Hermione of the time right before he'd kissed her. He'd been going on about how terrible and how bad he was. Hermione could've sworn she saw a tear escape his eye, but it was gone when she looked up again.

"GO. I can handle it!" His voice was strained.

She stood for a moment, lingering to see if there was anything else she could do. She nodded toward him, bowing her head in sadness.

"Come back safe, please." She said in a barely audible voice.

Draco said nothing. He merely looked at the ground where the body-bound Death Eaters lay. She began to disapparate, and just before she left, a hooded figure was right behind Malfoy, raising his wand.


	43. Chapter 43

The last thing Draco saw were Hermione's eyes boring into his own. He'd seen the look of alarm in them, then quickly turned on his heel to face the wizard about to finish him off.

"Avada Ke-"

Malfoy pushed him down, hindering the muttering of the incantation. For a moment, he was overtaken with a pent up rage, seeing red and feeling the familiar throbbing of hatred in his head. He raised his wand, waved it, and said,

"CRUCIO!"

The wizard before him writhed on the ground like a snake, tortured screams escaping a small opening of his mouth. His eyes were squinted, and his face was turning red. He began to gasp for breath.

"P-p-p-p-please s-stop!" He managed through breaths.

Malfoy looked at the Death Eater in contempt, torturing him more with his cold, steely eyes.  
>The Death Eater twisted and turned, screaming himself hoarse, even though he could do nothing to rid himself of the pain. It was the first time in years that Malfoy'd felt so strongly about wanting to kill someone. He would have been frightened by this feeling if he wasn't so controlled by his anger.<p>

He glanced around, looking at the bodies of all the Death Eaters. None of them were dead, just paralyzed. He brought his attention back to the one before him. The man's movements were growing feebler, and his cries reducing to a mere din.

"He-help, p-please…" The man choked on his whispers.

Malfoy looked down at him, any traces of who he'd changed into vanished. He had no mercy for him, especially after he'd nearly killed him. His lips curled into the familiar smirk, and he raised his wand.

"You should have thought about that before you tried to kill me. Avada K-!" He stopped himself.

Why was he stopping? He knew the curse – oh, how well he knew this curse. What was halting him? Was he a killer? Could he do it?

"What's wrong with me?" He whispered to no one.

The pleading face of the man before him twisted into a satisfied grin. The Crutiatus curse was losing its effects, and the man seized the chance. He retrieved his wand and had it pointed at Draco in less than three seconds.

"You're just as much of a coward as your father. You didn't have the stomach to kill  
>Dumbledore, what makes you think you have the stomach to kill me?" He said, dropping the scared and shaking façade he'd managed to construct when Draco had cursed him.<p>

He jabbed the wand into his throat, indenting it and making it hard for Draco to swallow.

"You have no idea, " He said, circling around Draco tauntingly "of what I am capable of."

The man moved closer to him until their noses were nearly touching.

"We could use someone like you. What do you say?"

He looked at Draco as if he were doing him a great favor, baring his grimy teeth in a sickening, contorted smile.

Draco felt the wand in his hand, swearing it was almost ten times as heavy as it had been before. He felt the familiar sensation of his heart thudding like a bass drum. He could hear Dumbledore's words echoing in his ears.

"Draco, Draco, You are not a killer."

Of course he'd resented it then. He was a scared sixteen year old with literally no other option. Even though it hadn't been at his hand, he still heard the old man's words lingering. He saw that Dumbledore was right.

"Like hell I would." He muttered, reaching for his wand.

The next moment was a blur as both men casted curses, the sparks clashing and being flung like boomerangs all over the place. Malfoy dodged curse after curse, flashes of green light narrowly missing him by centimeters.

"Impedimenta!" He roared.

The man froze for a moment, unable to do anything. Malfoy took one last look into his eyes, seeing the hatred burn within them. He lingered not a moment longer and disapparated to the Ministry, feeling the sickening motion more so than usual.


	44. Chapter 44

So, hey guys.

Miss me? :D

Just kidding, I know you don't XD

Well, for the past week, I've been extremely busy, but I HAVE written the next part. I've also rewritten it several times, because it just isn't right. As you all know, sometimes life gets in the way of stuff, and some things happen that we don't expect. I was sick for the past three weeks pretty much, and I didn't have much energy or time to write. When I DID write, it just wasn't right. HOWEVER, things should get back on track pretty soon. I'm not promising a post every day, as we all see how well I followed through with that before, but I am HOPING to have at LEAST one post every few days or so, may be more depending on circumstance. I have not given up the story, and I've no intention of abandoning it in the future. I am hell-bent on completing this. I've got the entire story pretty much mapped out, but it's not all set in stone. I plan to make this at least five hundred pages. It's at about 150-200 in MS Word right now, I'm not really SURE. It will be fairly long though. I may make a sequel to this, depending on the responses I get. But then again, that's in the distant future. I just want to thank you all for being patient, and I'm trying my damndest to get the next chapter in order. It'll be about five thousand words, part of the reason it was so difficult to write. (20-25 pages in MS Word). So, yeah. Thanks a million, I love you all. Thanks for all of your reviews, support, reads, alerts, yeah. All of that.

Looooooooove you :D

Riley.


	45. Chapter 45

The last look in Draco's eyes sent Hermione spiraling into a state of panic. By the time she'd apparated back to the Ministry, her knees were bucking and she was shivering like a leaf about to drop from the branch of a tree. She was torn between going back and staying put like Draco told her to do. The worry was nearly making her sick, and her thoughts were all colliding and bouncing through her head like a boomerang.

"Should I tell Kendrina – No, she'd get mad at me for leaving. Should I go ba- No, Draco told me to leave. Is he ok? I don't know what to do!"

Many of the witches and wizards walking about were shooting questioning looks at her, but not stopping to ask what was wrong. She felt dizzy and out of it; and the fact that Draco didn't appear with each passing minute didn't do anything to settle her wild nerves. Her fingernails were digging into her face, decorating it with crescent – shaped marks.

"Hermione?" said a familiar voice somewhere in the back of her head.

"Great, now I'm hearing voices." She muttered.

A tap on the shoulder came after that, and she KNEW she hadn't imagined it, even with an active mind like hers. She turned quickly to face her caller. She was met with acid green eyes, ebony hair, and a concerned facial expression.

"Oh, hi, H-harry." She managed in a weak, quivering voice.

Harry's eyes grew wider as he detected the horror in her voice.

"What's wrong? What happened? Are you ok? I swear, if that prat -"

"Oh, shut it!" She exclaimed firmly.

He immediately fell silent, and looked at her patiently, as if waiting for her to tell him something. When she didn't speak, he took it upon himself to prod her.

"'Mione, why are you so… " He seemed at a loss for words, not quite able to find the correct emotion for what she appeared.

"So what?" She attempted to snap, but it came as more of a weak, feeble voice, much like that of a frightened child.

"Are you going to tell me what happened, or am I going to have to hex Malfoy? Because if you don't tell me, I'm going to assume it's something to do with him, and - "

"We were ambushed." She cut him off in a barely audible voice.

He immediately became more alarmed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we were ambushed." She said impatiently.

"Wha- "

"There were Death Eaters… at the hideout… They were just… just waiting for us." She choked out.

She felt Harry's hand slide through hers, warm to the touch.

"We have to tell Kendrina." He said firmly, attempting to drag Hermione with him.

"NO!" Her voice carried, causing more people to look in their direction. She didn't care; she couldn't let Kendrina know.

"Hermione, you're being ridiculous, she needs to know, it's perfectly simple -"

"It's not SIMPLE, Harry Potter. If we go to her right now, she'll take me off the case. She'll fire Malfoy - "

"Like that would be a bad thing." Harry muttered.

"Just STOP. I can't let her know. It'll ruin it. All of it." She said in the strongest tone possible.

Harry released her, studying her face. After a moment, he spoke.

"Alright. Fine. We won't tell her. She's going to find out sooner or later, though. This isn't your fault, I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this. I'm sure you and DRACO handled it fine." He said venomously, allowing extra acidity when he spoke Malfoy's name.  
>Hermione felt a sting of hot tears brimming in her eyes.<p>

"Harry. He's in trouble. And I left." She whispered.

For a brief moment, Harry actually looked scared. He quickly composed his expression, and went into Auror-mode.

"How many were there?"

"Dunno… Four, five?"

He nodded curtly, then fired off other questions.

"Did you recognize any of them?"

"Did you kill any of them?"

"Did you curse them?"

"Did any get away?"

"What did they look like?"

Hermione tried her best to recollect what had happened, but found herself freezing up when she thought of the cold looks on their faces. All she could hear were the words, "Mudblood", and "Filth" echoing in her head.

"Hermione, were you hurt?" Harry said, for the second time, Hermione not hearing him properly.

"Oh, er- no. I wasn't."

"What about… Malfoy?" He asked, somewhat reluctantly.

Hermione looked away from him.

"I don't know. The last I saw of him was when he was fighting off the wizard who lead the group. I disapparated right after that." She said quietly.

"Let's go to my office. I'll make you a cup of tea." He offered.

She snapped her head back up to him, her curly hair whipping around her face, surrounding her like a halo. Harry sharply breathed in at the scent of it, growing dizzy like it was full of Amortentia. Her face was pained, her full lips rearranged into a frown and her eyes narrowed and glistening.

"No. I HAVE to wait for him." She said determinedly.

Harry sighed.

"You're too nice for your own good, Hermione. If you don't watch yourself, he may end up -"

"Out of all things that needed to be said to make me more relaxed," she said slowly, her eyes narrowing.

"That is NOT one of them. It's not your business, Harry."

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but shut it immediately.

"You're right, Hermione. Absolutely right. I'll just go." His voice was strained and cracked.

Although she didn't want to hear him complaining about Malfoy, he made her feel a little better than she had. Her heart skipped in panic as he turned, walking to the entrance.

"WAIT!" She shouted.

And again, she got a few stares from fellow Ministry–goers. Her hands were limp against her  
>sides, and her words managed to get tangled on the journey from her head to her mouth.<p>

"Har- Plea- I - … Stay." She sputtered.

She didn't need to be alone, especially when her grief was eating at her conscience. If Harry was there, it would tempt her less to disapparate and go against Draco's wishes.  
>He looked from her to the door, as if making a life or death decision. He was hesitant, but he turned back to Hermione, the look on her face nearly killing him. When he reached her, he silently pulled her into a hug. She didn't reject it, but tugged him closer, the warmth of him calming her.<p>

"You know, I do worry about you, Hermione. I'm just looking out for you. I'm your best friend, it's what I do." He whispered, internally cringing at the word "friend",

He felt her grow more and more relaxed in his arms, not as rigid with fright as she was at first.

"I know." She said, her voice coming muffled from her face being buried in the shoulder of his cloak.

It was a pleasant moment, the security of his arms calming her. For some reason, Harry's pulse quickened. His heart began to thud a bit more frequently than usual. One of his hands rested on the small of her back, gently patting her in reassurance.

"It'll be fine. Trust me." He muttered.

"Hpmgh" came Hermione's voice from his shoulder.

He took it as an agreement and said nothing.

"CRAAAACK!"

The sound startled Hermione, a loud squeak emitting from her. This time, it wasn't Hermione that the passerby were looking at. It was the source of the apparition, a very ragged looking Draco. Harry felt Hermione peel herself away from him, and the loss burned more than it ought to have. He watched her sprint to his enemy with her arms open wide. He watched her fling herself into his not-so-awaiting arms, nearly knocking him over, despite her small size. He could only wonder, if he'd been in that situation, would she extend the same kind of emotion for him? As the girl he'd been best friends with, through thick and thin, for eleven years comforted his enemy, through all of the bad times, for eleven years, he disappeared with a twisted expression.

"Draco, what happened?" She said after she'd nearly tackled him in delight.

His white blonde hair was disheveled, and his eyes were filled with a mixture of pain and disgust. He was shaking, much more than Hermione had been. Immediately, she regretted leaving him.

"I shouldn't have gone. I'm sorry, I can't bel-"

He pressed a finger to her lips, effectively quieting her.

"This isn't your fault." He used the same words Harry had, and somehow, it made Hermione feel a little bit better.

"Are you hurt?" She pressed anxiously, her hands wringing together.

He didn't say anything, just adverted his gaze to the ground, staring intently at it. He didn't look physically hurt, Hermione noticed.

"Draco, what's wrong?" She didn't care that nearly all of the wizards and witches at the Ministry were stopping to steal glances at them. Some didn't even have the courtesy to look the other way after a moment.

He breathed in.

"I did something bad." His voice was a low whisper.

Hermione was confused.

"What do you mean, you did something bad?"

His eyes were steely grey, the molten mercury look that Hermione was used to long gone. Images of the first kiss they shared flooded into her mind, flickering between the half-crazed look in his eyes and the way he was talking. This was an all too familiar feeling right now.  
>There was a sharp intake of breath, and Malfoy looked around at the prying eyes.<p>

"Let's just go to your office and talk about it. I don't want to be out… here." He jerked his head in the direction of a few starers.

Hermione bit her lip and nodded. To her surprise, Draco's fingers weaving within her own. She felt them curl and grip her hand firmly. She expected him to keep his distance from her, just like the last time. He didn't look at her, but his grip made her feel some reassurance. They walked, hand in hand, past glaring onlookers. If they weren't already a spectacle of the public, they were now. Draco Malfoy, holding hands with the muggle-born, who no one knew the name of. Hermione decided not to dwell too much upon this fact, and just kept her head high, still wasting away on the inside with worry for Draco. She tried to steal a few glances at him, but he never caught her eye. His gaze was fixed on the invisible path ahead of him. They meandered through the crowds of all the people, blocking out the buzz and gossip. At long last, they finally reached Hermione's office, and she unlocked the door.

She strode over to her desk, taking care not to knock over the massive copious amounts of paper in her in-tray. She had turned to tell Draco to sit, and that she wanted to know everything, but when she finally caught his eye, the look on his face rendered her speechless.  
>There was a fire burning within him, obvious on his face. It was mixed with the agonized look he had earlier. Quickly, he closed the distance between them and cupped her face in his hands. She opened her mouth to say something, but she felt his lips crushing against hers within the next second. He pulled her closer to him, and her lips molded against his. Just as she began to grow breathless, he pulled away.<p>

"Dra-"

He held up his hand, signaling her to not talk. He sat down in the nearest chair and began to explain everything from the last detail of when she'd disapparated. Lines were forming on Hermione's forehead, creasing it with worry. When he got to the part of him performing the Crutiatius Curse, he stopped.

"I felt – I felt like I was being possessed… by someone that wasn't me. I wanted to kill him SO, SO badly." His voice grew quieter as he plowed on.

"I almost did. I could've ended it." He muttered.

Hermione debated on whether she should say anything. Against her better judgment, she spoke up.

"What you felt, Draco… that was what anyone could have felt." She said, sincerity ringing in each word.

He looked up at her, his lips curled into a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You can say that all you like, but it just goes to show… I'm still just as bad as the rest of them."

She angrily stood up.

"Draco Malfoy. You HAVE to stop victimizing yourself! You chose your side! THIS is your side!  
>You know that, I know that!" Her voice was nearly a shout.<p>

If he was shocked by her words, he didn't show it. Hermione continued on, a fire building up inside of her, ready to be released.

"You WERE a Death Eater. YES. I am NOT denying that, YOU are not denying that! From day one, you have been claiming to be this dark, sinister, evil person, but no one believes that."

"You don't KNOW what it's li-"

"I never said I DID, Draco! I'm just saying, the past is the PAST, leave it at that! Maybe you could HELP me to understand!" She pleaded.

She noted the look in his eyes, his silvery orbs glistening a bit.

Her tone began to grow softer. She took a step towards his chair, a confidence she hadn't felt before coming out. She leaned in closer to him, her eyes the color of warm, molten  
>butterscotch.<p>

"You chose your side. That should be all that matters."

She turned around, as if to say that was her final word on the matter. It was silent for a few moments while Hermione pretended to be sorting papers. She hadn't heard him, but Malfoy was right behind her.

"I think I'll listen to you. Try to take your advice." He said slowly, causing her to jump a little.

She felt herself grinning, happy that he couldn't see.

"But there is one condition I have from now on." He stated.

"And what might that be?"

"We don't do patrol duties ever again. I'd rather have my hand fall off from all of that paperwork than come that close to losing you again." He whispered.

She turned to face him.

"I can take care of myself, Draco. I'm a big girl." She tried to sound firm and sure, but it came out shakily as she spoke under the intensity of what he'd said.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." He grinned.

"I swear, you don-"

"Just please shut it and do what I say for ONCE?" He asked pleadingly.

Hermione would've been offended, not to mention hexed him into oblivion, but she just felt a tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach. She said nothing, but went to sorting her files. There came a knock at the door, and Draco walked over to answer it.

Just as the doorknob turned, Kendrina came bursting in with Harry flanking her.

"Tell me everything, NOW." She demanded.

Her eyes were full of worry, just as Harry's had been when he'd run into her. She was clearly using all of her willpower to keep calm.

Harry didn't look at Hermione when she threw him the dirtiest expression she could conjure. It was could certainly rival a few of the ones McGonagall gave to Umbridge their fifth year, and that was saying something. Draco looked from Harry to Hermione, a befuddled expression on his face. He threw Hermione a questioning look, but it was all she could do not to jump past Kendrina and hold her wand to Harry's throat.

"Granger. Now! I need to know, are you alright?"

Hermione masked her face to become polite and composed.

"Actually Kendrina, we're fine. Nothing hap-"

"Save it. Potter beat you to it." She jerked her head in his direction.

Harry didn't seem to notice he was being addressed, but it looked as if he'd become very interested in a certain spot on the floor. Hermione sighed, trying her best to remain calm.

"Ok, I'll tell you. But I think I'd feel better if Mr. Potter was NOT present." She looked at him, finally catching his gaze.

Hermione had never called him Mr. Potter before. He was in serious hot water with her.

"Very well, Potter. Off you go. Fetch Weasley – you two need to fill out some sheets for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts."

Harry looked as though he were going to protest for a moment, but read the look on Kendrina's face and decided against it. Though paperwork was a pain, Harry looked quite relieved to have been dismissed. As she looked at it his retreating back, she felt a new wide range of emotions spilling into her. All Hermione knew that if it was the last thing she did, she'd make Harry Potter pay.


	46. Chapter 46

"I'm just not understanding - " Kendrina said in a soft, dangerous voice. "Why you couldn't come to me instead of Potter?"

Her eyes were piercing into Hermione like daggers, and she began to squirm underneath her gaze.

"I was just - "

"She was waiting for me to get back." Malfoy cut in, his voice firm and strong. Defiance and protection hung in his voice, as though he were shielding Hermione from Kendrina. He caught Hermione's eye, and she threw him a confused glance.

"What do you mean, waiting for you to get back?" Kendrina narrowed her eyes more.

Malfoy threw a glance at Hermione, making sure she wasn't going to speak, and told the story from the beginning. Kendrina didn't utter a single word the entire time he was talking, which was pleasant and surprising at the same time. When he finished, Kendrina hesitated.

"How many were there?" She asked in a quiet voice.

"Just a small group."

"Casualties?" She asked, frowning with a sigh.

"None for us – I body-binded a few of them." Malfoy said promptly.

"Are you…. Are you alright?" She asked with concern.

This took the pair back. They'd never heard anything close to concern in Kenrina's voice when she was speaking to Malfoy. Her eyes were warm, and they'd pried apart from their usual narrow stare.

"Me?" He asked.

The patience Kendrina showed wore off within a millisecond.

"Yes, Malfoy, YOU." She said in exasperation.

Malfoy tried to scrape an answer together, but the recent events and Kendrina's warm tone were just a bit too much. Instead, Hermione answered for him.

"He'll be alright. A lot of stuff happened." She muttered.

Kendrina's head snapped into Hermione's direction.

"And you, Granger? Will YOU be fine?"

Hermione nodded, biting her lower lip. Malfoy wanted to reach out to her and touch her hand to show comfort, but decided not to under Kendrina's clearly perceptive watch.

"Very well. Take the rest of the day off. I hate to ask this of you, but I need full reports on my desk as soon as possible." The official tone leaked back into her voice.

"There are a lot of risks with this job. I see you're both prepared to take them. I just want you to know… I know this isn't your fault. So don't blame yourselves, alright?"

She was speaking to the both of them, but her gaze was fixed upon Malfoy. She broke the stare moments later with the wave of her hand.

"Before you go, I understand it that you're to be substituting at Hogwarts next week, am I correct?"

The two nodded, avoiding each other's eyes.

"I've gotten Ginevra to take over your position, Granger. I need you to find someone to replace yourself, Mr. Malfoy. This is only for ONE week, and it's as a favor to McGonagall. We go back, that woman and I."

Hermione repressed a giggle. Kendrina was more like McGonagall than anyone she'd ever met. Almost as if to prove her point, Kendrina'*** shifted to the hardened one that McGonagall wore when she was being serious.

"Leave." She commanded.

Hermione turned to the door, hearing Malfoy right behind her. The handle felt cold in her hands as she swiftly turned it, trying to get out as quickly as possible. As soon as the door open, she tore off to her office, leaving Malfoy confused behind.

It took him a minute to register what she was doing, but he ran after her. Once he caught up to her, he grabbed onto her sleeve, trapping her in his grasp.

"Where are you going? What are you doing?"

Hermione was so mad she could practically spit.

"I. AM. GOING. TO. KILL. HARRY. POTTER!" She said, each word annunciated with rage.

Malfoy tried to hide his amusement, but failed when he saw how she looked. It was like watching a small child get angry over a toy or losing a game. Keeping the humor out of his voice, he spoke.

"Why?"

"He went and told like the slimy little Skrewt he is!" She said loudly.

People were beginning to stare. Then again, they were both used to it by now. Malfoy looked around and pulled her into the office, closing the door behind him.

"As much as I hate to say it, AGAIN, Granger…" Malfoy trailed off.

"Spit it out." She seethed.

"Potter likes you. He's looking out for you. I don't think he should've done that. - " Malice tinged his voice. "But none the less, he was looking out for you."

"BY TELLING MY BOSS!" She screeched.

"I do NOT envy Potter right now…" He muttered.

Hermione tried to walk past Malfoy to get to the door, but he blocked her path.

"Where do you think you're going?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm going to hex Potter into oblivion!" She exclaimed.

Malfoy felt himself smile. It was strange for her to be calling Harry by his surname. To be honest, he sort of liked it when she was worked up.

"No, you're not."

"YES. I am! And you aren't going to stop me." She raised her wand, glaring at him.

Malfoy backed away without thinking. Even if Granger were kidding, it wouldn't be prudent to tempt her even further. It was awfully fun messing with her, though…

"What did you say?"

Did he say that out loud?

"You're relentlessly beautiful when you're angry." He smirked.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Her cheeks grew crimson red, only adding fuel to the fire. Malfoy stepped towards her again, cupping her face into his hands.

"What if someone sees?" She asked, almost no protest in her voice.

"Forget them."

He kissed her softly, his arms wrapping around her waist. It felt so good to know she was there. Honest to Merlin, PHYSICALLY there. It'd been so lonely and terrifying when she left his side. He was never letting go.

Within two seconds of that thought, the door flew open, and Hermione ripped herself away from him.

"Oi, 'Mione, we nee-" Ron stopped when he saw the blush creeping back onto her face.

His eyes trailed to Malfoy's satisfied, gloating face, and they lingered there for a minute.

"Am I missing something?"

"How DARE you, Granger!" Malfoy shouted, a sneer replacing the smug smile.

She looked questioningly at him. He looked at her pointedly as if to say, "Just play along."

She easily caught on, her expression twisting into faked anger.

"Shut it, you stupid ferret! Just because YOU don't know how to watch your self doesn't mean I should be responsible!"

Ron looked from both of them wearily.

"Sorry…" He said sheepishly.

Hermione turned to him, as if she'd just seen him enter the room.

"Oh, HI, Ronald!" She said brightly.

She shot Malfoy another fake glare that Ron could see, then winked at him when Ron turned away.

"I was just – I don't – We just needed you in our office for a moment." He was stammering at the smile she'd shot him.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. The weasel really was pathetic. How dare he look at her that way? Malfoy stopped his thought process. He probably looked at Hermione the same way, too.

"Sure, great. Who besides you, exactly?" She asked.

"Harry, of course."

Hermione's mouth turned upside down at the corners immediately. Malfoy repressed a snicker as the defiant, child-like look reappeared on her face.

"YOU won't need to come along, Malfoy." Ron spat.

"What makes you think I'd want to be stuffed in a room with the 'Chosen One', a mudblood, and a blood traitor?" His eyes narrowed.

Ron squirmed in the vicinity of his acidic voice. Hermione winced internally at the 'mudblood' comment, even though she knew he didn't mean it. MAlfoy must've realized that, because he looked at her apologetically when Ron adverted his gaze.

"Come on, 'Mione, let's go. I don't want to deal with more of this ferret than necessary." He walked out of the room without another word.

Hermione quickly pecked Malfoy on the lips, her eyes losing the coldness from their theatrics. He smiled as he watched her leave, not being able to wait until it was time to go to Hogwarts.


	47. Chapter 47

So, hey guys!

I know you all dislike author's notes, and I've done it before, but there's a reason to the sparse updating. I started this story when school ended. I had the Summer to post when I wanted and all that jazz. Now, school's started again. It's really hard to write when you have homework and you're at school for 7-8 hours. I'm not abandoning this story – I never will. I intend on finishing it. I just need you to be patient for me. This is honestly the first time I've written a story and put it online, so it's a bit strange for me to have responses and requests to write more. I'm flattered you all like it so much. I honestly do have a long way to go before my writing's passable. I am sixteen, so I've got more experience to get. I'm amazed this story has had the success it's had. I'm not gloating or being full of myself by any means, I'm just surprised. I'm going to TRY to get parts of the story up at LEAST once a week. I'm not promising. I've got other things to do, as you all know. Life gets in the way of stuff we want to do, sometimes. If I had it my way, I'd just write all the time. Once some school holidays start up, I'll be able to post every day. Until then, I'm going to write more now. I really appreciate everything from you guys. If there's anything I need to improve on, TELL ME. I really don't like the idea of there being something to make it better and I'm not doing that. I'm not going to beg you for reviews or more readers, I just want you to be patient with me and my crappy updating.

It means the world to me, you guys.

-Riley


	48. Chapter 48

Hello, all. You may have been wondering where I've been. Well, the answer is, I'm not entirely sure, myself. There's been a lot going on, what with school and sports. I'm not going to lie and say I didn't have time to write – I had a little, I just didn't. The thing is, when I started this story, I had no idea where it was going. It's my first fanfiction I've ever written, and I am partial to it. However, I do cringe when I look back on certain parts of it. When I first began the story, I didn't really understand you had to edit it until you achieved something that's not horrifying to look at later. I've learned my lesson – believe me. I feel that as a writer, I've grown a bit. I've no intention of ending the story. In fact, right after this author's note, you'll see I've added another chapter. I just want you guys to sort of bear with me. New readers – Please, please, please forgive all of the horrible grammar/spelling mistakes earlier on – I was just excited to get it down, and I wasn't very experienced. (I sincerely regret using 'Mione as a nickname. I cringe at those parts, too.)

To the readers who have been here since the beginning, I love you. I wouldn't be as confident as I am in my writing without you. I must admit to myself that this is a rather cookie-cutter Dramione story, but I will continue to write until I manage to extricate myself from the dreadful plot web I've managed to be entangled in for the past few months. It's going to take some work, but as I said before, please bear with me.

I completely understand if you don't want to continue reading, or if you've stopped waiting. I would, too. Hell, I come on here and want to throw my computer when I see that one of my favorite authors hasn't written in months – maybe even discontinued their story. I won't do that. I'm not promising I'll write every single day, week, or month. I'm just promising that it won't stop. It may be a bit in between chapters, but stick with me guys.

"Honestly, Ron, what does Harry want?" Hermione inquired icily as they walked side-by-side to Harry's office.

Ron shot her a questioning gaze.

"What is your problem with him?"

Hermione felt the anger form earlier bubble in the pit of her stomach and rise to her throat, ready to attack Ron with her pent up rage. When she saw that Ron's expression was one of concern and not defense, she felt it melt away.

Ron looked at her for a long time, trying to unsuccessfully decipher her anger for Harry. Hermione had a difficult time not exploding again. She scolded herself; she was usually much less… violent.

"Well, Ronald, I don't think this is the best time right now. I'll explain everything later, alright?"

He didn't argue, but felt his ears grow hot. Perhaps it was the way she said his name or how pretty she looked when she was angry,. Hermione walked ahead of him, probably wanting to get there quickly to get a few yells in. Ron lingered behind, transfixed. Merlin, her legs went on for miles. Without much thought, he was walking slowly towards her, and nearly fell back when he ran into her. He caught the distinctive smell of her hair; a mixture of the most fragrant roses and a bit of cinnamon; an odd, but lovely combination. He had to stop himself from wondering what it would feel like to run his fingers through the silky tendrils.

"Ron, are you alright?" Hermione turned to him, her eyebrows knitting together.

Bloody hell, had she slipped him a love potion? All the effects were there, dazed expression, obsession, not noticing his surroundings. Impossible; that was the most un-Hermione thing to do, and he was aware of himself. He'd forgotten what happened when he swallowed the love potion in the chocolate cauldrons. He swallowed, then answered.

'"'M Fine, Hermione. Just a little out of it, today."

She gave him a small smile, and broke into a near-run for Harry's office. Ron stared after her and sighed, succumbing to the pain he'd long nursed a spot for. Hermione was already at Harry's office by the time Ron had lumbered down the corridor. She stood there, vacillating between raging into his office or just running away.

"Ron?" Hermion said through gritted teeth when he reached her.

"Yeah?"

She hesitated, then collected herself and tried to form a coherent sentence.

"If I – If I lose… control…."

Ron chuckled.

"Hermione, I really doubt you'd be one to lose control – but hey, what do I know?" He finished hastily as she gave him the dirtiest look he'd ever seen.

"What I mean is, I think you'll be fine. I don't know what Harry said or did to you to make you THIS upset – I could hex him, if you want." He offered.

Hermione appreciated the gesture, but he would never do that. Hermione would never let him do that. Harry's stupidity wasn't worth a fight.

"Maybe a few good slugs… " she thought to herself with a small smile.

"Now THAT is something I'd like to see." Ron grinned.

Had she said that aloud?

"If you don't leave me alone, I might hex YOU, Ronald," She said good-naturedly. "Wouldn't want a repeat of second year, now would we?"

Even though all those years had passed, Ron's face colored an unpleasant green color at the mere memory. He groaned.

"Thanks for reminding me. Are you sure you don't want to wait a while? I mean, I know you can deal with it on your own, but maybe you need to calm - "

She waved her hand as if dismissing him.

"I'll be fine, Ron. I promise you'll still have your friend after I'm through with him." She smirked.

They stood for a moment just looking at each other. Ron felt that same sensation as before creep through him. He cleared his throat and gestured towards the door.

"Shall we get this over with?"

"That'd be lovely." Hermione replied with as much civility as she could muster.

Though she wasn't angry with Ron at the moment, it was hard not to take a little bit of her frustrations out on him. He genuinely seemed to care for her well being, so she decided to direct everything at her four-eyed friend.

With as much force as she could, she slammed the door open until the handle hit the wall. There was a distinct cracking noise, but she'd turn her focus to that after she was done.

"YOU ARROGANT PRAT!" She screamed.

Harry's widened with shock, and he'd jumped about three feet in the air when she'd burst in. A chipped mug lay on the floor of his office, and the carpet now bore a decent sized wet spot.

"I'm sor-" He began.

"SORRY? Don't make me laugh," she said cruelly. "Nothing matters unless it's about Harry Potter. Please, if you'd just take over my life, I'm sure it would make everything easier on me."

"I just thought - "

"Oh, that's rich. You just thought? Then I guess there's a first time for everything!" She yelled, her hair flying behind her.

Harry started to speak, but then shut his mouth to avoid his head being bitten off.

"Can I just ask what your problem is? Or do I even get an explanation?"

Harry sighed and removed his glasses. He ran a free hand through his messy hair and fixed his gaze two feet in front of Hermione's feet.

"You wouldn't have told her." He stated lamely.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, and she attempted to channel her emotions before speaking.

"And what business is that of yours?" She spat angrily through gritted teeth.

Much to both Ron and Hermione's surprise, Harry grew angry.

"BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOUR SAFETY! Did that ever occur to you? For one second in that HUGE brain of yours did you understand that you're not alone? That you have friends? Friends that want to protect you? FRIENDS THAT LOVE YOU?"

Her breath hitched with shock. She hadn't expected him to yell back – she wasn't prepared. She honestly had no idea of what to say to that.

"I – I – I just don't - "

"I didn't think so." He said harshly, bending down to pick up the broken mug, not even bothering with his wand.

Hermione looked back at Ron. He shrugged as if to say, "He's right, you know." She glared, angry at him for not backing her up.

"Harry, I - "

"I have to go home. Something came up." His voice was cold; almost inaudible. With that, he picked up a large black briefcase and was out of the room within a matter of seconds.


	49. Chapter 49

_Hullo, lovelies. I was pleased and shocked to see that within one day of posting, I received about two thousand hits. You guys inflate my head. :3 I am looking for constructive criticism relating to writing style and all that, so I'd be chuffed to bits if you reviewed. I'm going to TRY to revert back to posting once or twice a week. I'm posting this now because I'm in a writing mood. I get distracted when I write, guys. I want to write, but the call of the internet is too strong for me to resist. Without further yammering, I give you the next installment._

Hermione turned to Ron, uncertain of what to say. He merely looked back at her bearing the same expression as before. Had she been too harsh? She hadn't meant to question his worry for her. She knew he was worried; why else would he tell? It was betrayal in Hermione's eyes. She'd expected him to know that she could take care of herself.

"Er, Hermione?" Ron's voice broke through her analysis on Harry's attitude.

She whipped around, a bit more quickly than she meant to, and snapped, "What?"

Ron looked taken aback, and his face flushed a beet red. It wasn't hard for Ron to get worked up over small things, so she paid no notice to it. He took a deep breath, looking like he wanted to say something.

"Yes, Ronald?" Hermione prompted, her tone much kinder than before.

If anything, this comment made him flush even redder. He started to speak, but cleared his throat, obviously mixing up words in his head before he could voice them properly. It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts, but Hermione was as patient as she could be.

When he finally spoke, it was in a shaky and unbalanced tone, like he was struggling against himself for saying it.

"Hermione – he's not the only one that cares." He choked out.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. Why was that such a difficult thing to say? He avoided looking at her, keeping his eyes trained on the wet spot from the spilled glass. She'd figured he'd said what he wanted to say. She walked to the door, ready to get home.

"He's not the only one that loves you." Ron said, just as she'd reached the door.

Her face fell, and she was glad she wasn't turned towards him. She lifted her hand from the doorknob and attempted to compose her features so the rejection didn't register. It was impossible for her to convey anything but false cheeriness, so she stuck with a rather large grin that was unlike her natural smile and prayed that he would buy it. She turned to him, fighting to keep the look of resignation from her face, and said,

"I love you, too. You've been such a good friend to me. I love having two older brothers to watch over me."

She tried to keep her tone jovial, but lost her mask as she saw Ron frown, his face more maroon than the yearly Christmas jumper from Mrs. Weasley.

"Y-yeah. That's what I mean. We have to watch out for each other." Ron stammered, avoiding her gaze again.

He'd obviously lost his nerve and didn't seem to think it was worth explaining what he actually meant, but Hermione got the idea. She hated hurting people's feelings, especially those of her best friend, but she just didn't return his affection. She did love him, but not the kind of love that sent her heart racing, her knees buckling, or any of that romance rubbish she had no time for. No; it was the kind of love she felt for her mother and father. She'd do anything for him, protect him to the best of her abilities, even finish some of the paperwork he was too tired to complete. That was as deep as her love went, even if she didn't know what real love felt like.

Of course, she everyone expected the two to get together. She was heckled by George, Molly, and Arthur about when they were going to get married. It was all joking, but she couldn't help but feel that their teasing was meant to highlight the inevitability of a relationship. Even little Teddy questioned in his high-pitched, childish voice the date of their wedding.

That was why it bothered her so much to phase him out like she was. She wasn't trying to lead him on – she was just trying to let him down easy – to know that they were fine the way they were. It wasn't even Draco that changed her mind about Ron – she'd always felt like that. Of course, back at Hogwarts she felt the sparks, but they'd long died out with the changes that came along with adulthood.

"I'll see you later – I can't wait for a home-cooked meal. Your mother's food never ceases to amaze me." She said finally, the silence becoming a bit too uncomfortable for her liking.

Ron's eyes met hers for the first time since she'd confronted Harry, and she was shocked to see how narrow they were.

"So you won't be joining dear old Draco then?"

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Hermione cleared her throat.

"No – Why would you ask something like that?"

He laughed, but she didn't know if it was meant to sound harsh or not. It was forced – she knew that much.

"No, I was just curious as to why you wouldn't be after how cozy you two looked. But carry on – it's none of my business." His tone indicated the end of their conversation, but the same anger Hermione lashed out at Harry was resurfacing, and she was fighting to keep herself from snapping at him.

"He's my work partner, Ron," she said slowly. "We're meant to be together some of the time, so forgive me for doing my job."

He said nothing, but shook his head slightly. Hermione didn't miss it.

"Didn't we agree we'd all keep this civil?" Her voice climbed a few octaves with her rekindled anger.

Ron's smile grew cocky, and she wondered where this newfound confidence was a few moments ago when he was warring with himself to confide his love. It'd be easier to hate someone for something than work to make yourself vulnerable, she supposed. As long as it at her expense, Ron was fine with picking a fight.

"Yeah," he agreed, his tone edgy. "We said we'd keep it civil. I don't recall the detail of us having to be _friends _to be civil." She started to say something, but he cut her off. "But friendship doesn't really seem to be the issue, does it?"

She spluttered, wondering if he'd seen them. No, he couldn't have. Whenever he burst in, they'd put on a good enough show. She'd never even expressed anything but hatred for Draco whenever Ron was around.

"So I'm right." He said, turning his burning gaze to a stack of envelopes on Harry's desk.

"And what are you referring to?" She inquired assertively.

He scoffed in disbelief. She wasn't sure when it happened, but the envelopes that rested on Harry's desk moments before were scattering in the air, and a few barely noticeable red lines etched into Ron's hand.

"I am so done…" Ron muttered, unaware of Hermione staring at him in disbelief.

She turned back to the door and exited the office without another word.


	50. Chapter 50

Within a few moments of her leaving Ron, she broke into a sprint. She wanted to put as much distance as she could between them. She knew he couldn't be positive of her and Draco, but she was positive of the hurt he felt. She felt that same hurt sixth year, when she saw him eating Lavender Brown's face off. It'd made her feel sick. It'd made her feel like she wasn't up to standard. The only problem was that Ron probably felt ten times the pain that Hermione did. She was sure that it wasn't the fact she was with Draco; it was the fact that Hermione didn't feel the same way.

She ran as fast as she could, which was quite an accomplishment, given the shoes she wore. Her feet stung with every stride, but she kept going. She needed to clear her head; get away from everybody. She didn't want to see Draco, which surprised her. She just wanted silence; to be solitary and able to think for a change. Though she didn't want to think about the recent events that transpired, she'd be forced to. All she could see was the severity of Harry's voice and the look on Ron's face. The small paper cuts on his hand swum amongst her memories most potently.

When she'd finally stopped running, she was unsure of where she was. The familiar office area was long gone now, replaced by a frigid tiled floor and blinding light. She looked around, confused. She'd never been to this part of the Ministry before. Then again, who had the need to go anywhere else when they were stuck with hours' worth of paperwork? It was a dead end. Three doors were strategically placed at the end of the hall, the one in the middle bearing a nameplate with nothing engraved into it.

Hermione took a few hesitant steps forward. She didn't even know if she was allowed to be there, much less if she was allowed to find out where the doors led. She capitulated to the curiosity and determinedly thought that no one would mind if she snuck a peak. Just as she was about to open the door with the empty nameplate, it opened. She froze, a deer in headlights, the sudden movement petrifying her.

An antagonistically statuesque woman stood two feet before her, studying her with sharp eyes, which were a shade of lovely indigo. Hermione found herself wondering if they were contacts, but remembered that witches never dabbled in Muggle doctor practices. The woman raised a hand to brush back striking black hair with her fingertips. With the contrastingly dirty look on the woman's beautiful face, Hermione knew that her worry that she wasn't supposed to be there wasn't entirely misguided.

"What are _you_ doing down here?" The woman asked, her attempt at a hateful tone having no effect when spoken in her light, melodic voice.

"Er, I was just leaving." Hermione replied, avoiding the girl's piercing gaze.

"Wait," She said, just as Hermione had turned to leave. "Were you … looking for something?"

Hermione smiled to herself.

"Yes, but I doubt I'd find it down here," She looked around. "What is this place, anyway? I've never really gotten a chance to see it. Do you work here?"

The woman's expression turned to stone.

"No. I don't work here. My fiancée went missing days ago, and the Ministry is investigating it. Some 'suspected 'sort of dark wizard activity - whatever the hell that means. I- I just got out of questioning."

She looked frustrated and angry, tears threatening to spill from her suddenly glistening eyes.

Hermione's friendly instinct kicked in, and she took a few steps closer until she was within arm's reach of the woman.

"I'm terribly sorry – I had no idea there were people going missing."

Even though she was attempting to comfort the woman, she couldn't help but let the panic slip into her voice. She was tired of having to mask her emotions; why not let go for once in front of someone she'd most likely never see again?

"How long has he been missing, exactly?" Hermione inquired curiously, trying to not come off as insensitive.

"Three days." She replied, her composed expression dissolving into one of fear and pain.

"What department is investigating it?"

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement is. They haven't done a damn thing since he went missing but question me. They think I killed him, or something."

That sounded about right. Of course, Hermione had nothing to do with the actual cases, but she handled enough paperwork to know that the department lacked the necessary drive and skills to operate smoothly. She found herself wishing she'd get promoted just so some of the people were treated with respect and helped.

"I'm really sorry – I hope everything goes alright." She extended her hand. "I'm Hermione Granger – I work for the Department. If you need any specific type of help, or if it's not going the way you want it to, then you can talk to me and I'll try to see if I can get something done."

The woman hesitantly shook her hand.

"Vivian. Vivian LeReaux."

Hermione shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other and said, "It was nice to meet you. I'm sorry, once again. I didn't mean to interrupt anything, I was just curious."

Vivian nodded and gave a lukewarm smile.

:"I guess it's just nice to know that someone actually cares."

And with that, she dropped Hermione's hand and walked off, leaving a strong smell of flowery perfume behind. Hermione fixed her gaze upon the door with the nameplate. Her little detour had certainly removed Ron and Harry from her thoughts for a moment. The mere thought of disappearances did little to ease her panic.

She lingered for a moment, not looking away from the door. How long would it take for the questioner to come out? Would they mind that she was standing there, staring at the door?

She knew she had to be at the Burrow that night, so skipping it wasn't an option. She tore her eyes off of the door and walked quickly in the direction she came, trying to banish any feelings of unease. That night would be hard enough to endure without all the added stress. For the first time ever in her life, she hoped that Harry wouldn't be there.

An hour later, Hermione stood in front of her foggy bathroom mirror, dripping wet from the shower she'd just taken. She studied her face, paying special notice to the puffiness of her eyes. She sighed, grabbed a brush from her bathroom counter, and yanked it through the gnarled tangles in her hair. It was painful, but she didn't notice it. She was too busy worrying about what would transpire at the Burrow once she arrived. She hated being on bad terms with her friends. She was especially dejected from her fight with Harry. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that SHE was being the irrational one; not him.

She wondered if Ron told anyone what happened. Though Molly's kindness shown through every time she saw Hermione, she couldn't help but think back to her fourth year when everyone got an Easter egg but her because of lies about her and Harry. Harry was already mad at her, but she doubted it would anger him any further if Ron told him. From Hermione's point of view, Harry wasn't the only one keen on keeping their relationship strictly friendly.

Once her hair was brushed, she padded off to her room, in search of something to wear. Almost immediately, she located her most comfortable pair of jeans and a simple green button down blouse. She changed quickly, hoping that her hair was dry enough so that it wouldn't fling droplets everywhere. She touched the ends of it, her fingertips meeting slightly damp patches. She secured a ponytail holder around it, keeping it out of her face, at least.

The sunlight lingered behind longer than usual, giving Hermione some sense of cheerfulness. The weather was forgiving, no trace of rain in the sky; Just thick, white clouds. She figured she'd be a little earlier than usual, but it couldn't hurt to help Molly with the cooking. Not that she'd need to, of course, but so she could occupy herself with someone whom she was on good terms with.

She exited her flat, greeted by a frigid gust of wind. She hadn't even thought of getting a coat, but she didn't want to prolong the inevitable. She disapparated, the unpleasant sensation allowing her mind to drift elsewhere for a split second. The Burrow came whirling into view, and as always, Hermione was put off balance. She dizzily walked to the front door, trying to steady herself. Before she could knock, Ginny had opened it for her and was ushering her in. She was expressionless. Hermione walked into the kitchen to find a rather frazzled Mrs. Weasley occupied with a frying pan.

"Hermione! Dear, it's lovely to see you. Ron and Harry are in the sitting room if you'd care to join them." Molly said her face lighting up when she saw Hermione.

Hermione gave a nervous chuckle and said, "Actually, I was wondering you needed any help."

She expected the answer before it even came, but was altogether disappointed.

"No, dear, I think I've just about finished. Go relax – you've probably overworked yourself." She smiled fondly at her, and pointed in the direction of the sitting room.

"Well, let me know if you change your mind." Hermione said, hoping that she would, but knowing she wouldn't.

She took longer than necessary to make the ten second trip to the sitting room, looking at a few crooked pictures adorning the wall. She dragged her feet as she walked, prolonging it for as long as she could. When she got there, she saw the backs of Harry and Ron's heads on the same sofa. Neither was talking, but it wasn't the usual comfortable silence when they just wanted to unwind without conversation. No – this was tense silence.

Without looking at either one of them, she plopped down in an overstuffed armchair and played with her hair absentmindedly. She tried not to take notice of her shaking fingers. Neither Ron nor Harry acknowledged her. She knew that they hadn't forgiven her yet. She also knew that Harry had every right to still be angry, but found herself fixating on how childish Ron was being.

"Wouldn't be the first time." She thought harshly, but remembered how it was hard for him. She hated that it was all her fault.

"Hermione," Harry's voice broke through the silence.

She snapped her head up to find him looking at her, his expression unreadable.

"Yes?" She asked timidly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose control earlier. I just want you to know I care about you." He looked away after this, his cheeks turning a bit pink.

"No, Harry – It's all my fault. I'm sorry, I was just frustrated." She insisted, her voice climbing in pitch.

He waved his hand.

"Just leave it. Okay?"

She thought he was still angry with her at these words, but he smiled slightly a second after. She returned it with interest.

"Dinner!" Mrs. Weasley called.

She was almost put at ease until she saw the look of disgust Ron gave her as she walked past him.

_I actually wasn't planning on writing anything today, but I guess the inspiration bug bit me. Aha, tell me if you want me to make the updates sparse and long or short and sweet. I'm trying for about 2,000 words a chapter – that'll be short and sweet from now on. I know that the previous ones weren't very long, but I had to do that for where I'm planning on going with the story. I hope you guys don't hate it!_


	51. Chapter 51

_Hullo, lovelies. I've been updating a bit more than I planned on updating. I was only going to write once this week, and I've already written three times. This will be my fourth. I hope you guys don't mind! I just need to strike while the idea is fresh in my mind. Once again, I get these writing spurts where I do nothing but write. So, I hope you enjoy._

Hermione dropped her gaze from Ron's and wordlessly moved into the kitchen behind Harry. Much to her unfortunate luck, there were only three unoccupied seats, which were all next to the other. Harry was making a beeline for the seat next to Mrs. Weasley, but Hermione cut in front of him and took it before he had the chance to sit down. His eyes were questioning, but Hermione merely shook her head. Harry rolled his eyes and sat next to her, with Ron on the other side. She breathed in gratefully. Her first stroke of luck that day.

There weren't very many people there; just Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny. Kingsley couldn't come 'round much – his duties at the Ministry kept him busy most of the time. Despite the tension between Ron and Hermione, the conversations flew smoothly through the room.

She threw herself into an animated discussion with Mrs. Weasley about how to properly clean a pot with magic, avoiding any interaction otherwise. On the rare occasion that she glanced elsewhere, she saw Ginny sitting quietly, playing with her food. She felt a pang of sympathy for her friend. Harry hadn't said a word to Ginny since Hermione arrived. She wasn't entirely sure he'd been chatty before she got there, either.

She wasn't sure if she should go and comfort her. Ginny hadn't said her usual hello, nor did she look pleased when Hermione had arrived. Hermione didn't have many female friends, but she considered Ginny to be just as good a friend to her as Ron and Harry. It seemed lately that she was losing them all.

Of course, the cause of Ginny's detached attitude had nothing to do with her; it was Harry. She knew and she felt sad, like it was her own fault. She watched Ginny swirl her fork around her plate before she finally looked up. Hermione looked away, unsure if she should instigate a conversation. Instead, she turned back to Mrs. Weasley, listening to the woes of persistent gnomes and gardening problems.

A mere hour after her arrival, everyone was saying goodbye, their stomachs bursting and plates clean. Hermione permitted a very harassed Mrs. Weasley to kiss her on the cheek (a small doxy infestation had been discovered) and hugged Arthur. She looked with uncertainty to either side of her, hoping she'd be able to evade a goodbye to Ron or Ginny. When she thought twice about it, a discussion with Harry may be a bit awkward, so she hurried to the front door without a word to anyone.

Just as she'd thought she'd managed to escape, a hand closed on her shoulder, causing her to squeak and jump about two feet into the air. She had a hard time catching her breath, praying it wasn't Ron.

'Anyone but him.' She thought. 'ANYONE but him. I'd even take Ginny right now.'

The owner of the hand walked around Hermione to where they were facing her. She sighed in relief; it was only Arthur.

"Sorry to frighten you." He said, his face obscured by the night.

She smiled, knowing he couldn't see it.

"Believe me, it's alright. Did you need something, Mr. Weasley?"

He chuckled. "I've told you before; call me Arhur. You're like my daughter." He said fondly.

Hermione's face burned, and was grateful for the cover of night to hide her blush.

"Well, thanks. I consider you family, as well, Arthur." She said, her tone formal.

He didn't speak for several moments. He looked as if he were analyzing her, or at least, that's what it looked like to Hermione in the dark.

"Well," he began slowly. "how… er – how have you been?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Brilliant," she said. "and yourself?"

Arthur sighed, abandoning all pretense.

"Is there something the matter with you, Harry and Ron? I don't mean to pry – In fact, I swore to myself I'd leave this to Molly, but it appears as if you're all… not getting along." He sounded as if he didn't quite know how to phrase it, but he'd gotten to the point.

Hermione smiled once more, affectionate over the Weasley's concerns, however misguided they might be.

"Everything's fine, Arthur – just work taking its toll. I suppose we're all about tired and anxious for some sleep."

Though her answer wasn't entirely truthful, it seemed to placate him. He looked towards the shed in the garden.

"Brilliant – I'm glad. Well, I'll see you 'round here tomorrow – I have to attend to some eckeltricity while Molly's busy."

Even in the dark, she couldn't mistake the gleam of excitement in his eyes. His love for dabbling with Muggle inventions never seemed to die out. She made a mental note to bring by her old television set. She didn't want to go behind Molly's back, but she didn't see the harm in it.

When she was certain she wouldn't be stopped again, she pirouetted and flew into a whirl of the night and arrived at her doorstep. Just as she began to dig for the key to her flat in her pocket, she heard a voice. Her hand flew to her pocket, her fingertips grazing her wand.

"Tut, tut, Granger – It's not polite to keep people waiting."

She turned around and was standing face to face with Draco Malfoy. He smirked at her, lifting a hand to her cheek.

"So," he drawled. "are we still pretending to be angry with each other, or is the coast clear?"

Hermione felt the inevitable burning sensation on her face, the redness registering on her cheeks. He laughed, removing his hand and pulling her into his arms. He buried his face into her hair, which against her best attempts, remained a tad frizzy from the stress of the day. His hug immediately mollified all of bad feelings.

"I've had the worst day." She muttered into his chest.

"Was it Weasley? Can I hex him?" He asked, his tone hopeful.

She pulled away and swatted his arm.

"Okay, no hexing." He conceded, trying to catch her eyes.

She avoided his gaze for a few moments.

"Are you … crying?" He asked gently.

Damn. She was. Tears poured, hot and salty, leaving glimmering tracks on her cheeks.

"It's just the -"

"Dust? Something in your eye, perhaps? Come off it, what's wrong?" He attempted to keep his voice controlled, but something in the back of his head told him he would be wanting to hex either Scarhead or Weasel within the next five minutes.

She gave a watery laugh.

"It just hasn't' been my day, is all. It happened after I left with Ron – and before you start on him, I'll explain." She interjected, sensing an angry interruption.

He mimed the zipping of his lips to show he'd be quiet. This brought a smile to her face.

"Do you want me to leave? We can talk about this tomorrow if you're this -"

"NO!" She shouted, a bit louder than she'd meant to.

A nearby stray cat arched its back and scampered off when it heard the noise, and her neighbor was eying her beadily through the flowery curtains.

"I meant – Just don't go, promise?" She asked, her voice small and child like.

Draco fought to keep a grin off of his face.

"Until you get sick of me." He confirmed, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

She looked around awkwardly for a moment, hoping no other neighbors heard her scream. When she saw that there were no prying eyes, she said,

"Let's go inside – it's cold."

She dug in her pockets for a few seconds, then pulled out her key. She jammed it in the lock, a bit more forcefully than necessary, and turned the knob when she heard the soft 'click'. Once inside, Draco closed the door behind them and pulled her into a hug for a second time.

"You just looked like you could use one of these." He murmured.

She found that the more time she spent with him, the more it acted as an antidote to her worries. They just seemed to vanish when she was with him. She pulled away first and motioned for the couch.

"Sit."

He gave her a salute, drawing an eye roll out of her. He obediently sat down and patted the spot next to him.

"So what did Weasel do this time?" He asked offhandedly, trying to keep his voice casual.

Hermione didn't miss it.

"What makes you think it was about him?" She inquired suspiciously.

He scoffed.

"So it isn't?"

Hermione's face redden. "That's not the point - "

"Thought so."

He smirked; she ignored him.

"I think – I think he knows." She said, a bit unsure.

"And?"

She raised her eyebrows. "And? What do you mean?"

He threw her a resigned look.

"Hermione – I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but I really could care less about what Weasley thinks. Potty too, for that matter – Sorry." He said, as she threw him a dirty look. "I like you, which is more than I can say for anybody else. Why keep it a secret?"

"B-be-because - " She spluttered, alarmed at his answer.

"Because you don't want them to hate you." He prompted, demonstrating the uncanny knack of knowing what she was thinking.

"Draco, they're my best friends. I think they'd consider it some sort of betrayal of trust." She said, struggling for the right thing to say.

He snorted.

"That's a laugh – did Potter not steal snog the Weaslette senseless right in front of him?"

She winced at the mention of Ginny.

"Sorry." Draco apologized, not wanting her to get upset again.

She didn't speak for a moment, but she did meet his eyes. Despite how grey they were, they seemed to be warm. She noticed that they seemed brighter over the past few weeks. It set her at ease.

"Hermione, they don't have to know. I just don't know how it matters if they'll find out eventually, anyway."

She bit her lip.

"I know that, I don't want –"

"I just need you to be sure of one thing." He interrupted, his eyes suddenly intense.

She merely nodded, frightened by the utter seriousness of his voice.

"I don't know what the future holds, but … " He stopped for a second, as if to collect his thoughts, then plowed on, rushing through the next bit in one breath.

"Iloveyou."


	52. Chapter 52

_Aren't you guys proud of me? I've updated quite a bit. I've shocked myself. I honestly thought I'd only do it once or twice. This is the fifth time. I'm really glad I've picked this story back up. Even though it wasn't that great at the beginning, I feel like I can take it somewhere. Maybe time was what I needed. :3 Remember, if you want to review, I don't mind. ;D_

"You… you what?" Hermione asked, a little startled by the sudden proclamation.

He gave a shaky laugh, completely destroying the teasing tone he wished to convey.

"Do you need St. Mungo's to cure your hearing? Granger, I love you." He surveyed her expression, then quickly backtracking said, "Sorry if that was out of - "

"Shut your mouth for two seconds." She smiled. "I love you, too."

His face seemed to light up, banishing any trace of worry or stress about what he'd just said. He laughed and took her hand in his, grinning more widely than she'd ever seen in her life.

"You know, I never knew that you could smile like that. I like it." She said, looking like she'd just had a hanger stuck in her mouth, herself.

"I guess I do tend to frown more often than most." He said, the corners of his mouth turning down as if on cue.

"Don't." Hermione said gently, lightly touching his hand as she did so.

She didn't have much experience with love. It was out of complete spontaneity that she said it back. She meant it, of course – it wasn't forced. She just surprised herself by realizing that she DID love him. Suddenly, she giggled. Draco looked at her, confused.

"Is something... funny?"

This only made her smile more widely. She cleared her throat.

"I've never been one for that mushy romantic rubbish, to be quite honest. Weak knees, heart racing, all that. The thing is, Draco – That's not what I feel. Well, I do feel a bit like that when you're around, but that's not it. I feel like… the reason I love you is because I can understand you." She seemed to be reaching for a good sentence, but couldn't find one.

He attempted to pass off his laugh as a violent cough, but Hermione was not one to be fooled and smacked him on the hand.

"HEY!" He said in mock anger. "I know what you're saying. I'm not one for silly things like love poems and all that nonsense, but I do love you. In fact," he paused, as if warring with himself. "I've wanted to say that for quite some time."

Hermione blushed.

"How long, exactly?" She wondered, more to herself than him.

"Well – Ever since that first attack. The first time we patrolled together." He admitted, hoping he didn't sound like a cheap Muggle anniversary card.

She grinned.

"I can honestly say that I've never expected those words to come out of your mouth, Draco Malfoy." She teased.

"And you think I did?" He replied with a smirk.

He hesitated to study the look on her face.

"This may also come as a shock to you – but I never hated you, either. Keeping up appearances, all that." He said nonchalantly.

"That's always lovely to hear. You didn't hate me." The corners of her mouth twitched. "Are you saying you _liked _me, then?"

This threw him for a loop. He had to think of what to say, not entirely sure of the answer, himself.

"To be perfectly honest – No. At least, not in the sense that I like you now. I think I was merely… intrigued by you. Not to say you weren't smart, kind, or … beautiful." He tried to find a better way to say it, not wanting to offend her. "Granger, I was a teenage boy, convinced that parentage was everything. I may not have overtly taken a fancy to you, but Merlin did I think highly of you."

"So… what exactly are you saying? You didn't like me, but you didn't hate me?" She asked, confused.

"What I'm trying to say is that – Well, I was afraid to like you." He looked her straight in the eyes. "I made a mess of life, I won't deny that. I was stupid."

She knew she shouldn't be comforted by this, but it made her glad to know that he didn't hate her.

"What about you?" He asked, jumping on the topic before she could speak. "I mean, that punch you threw at me third year seemed like you meant it. Granger, admit it – you hated me."

She giggled.

"I ran with Ron and Harry, of course I hated you." She teased.

When his face fell, she swatted his arm playfully.

"No, Draco. I didn't hate you. I actually thought at some points that you might've been better company than Ron and Harry. You were smart at least; anyone could've said that. Weren't you ranked among the highest in our year?"

"Something I never would've thought could come out of YOUR mouth, Granger." He sniggered.

"What?" She inquired defensively.

"You? Openly admitting that I'm intelligent? That I might be… as smart as you are?"

"Now, I didn't say that! I only said that I thought you were smart." She smiled.

"Well, I guess I'll take what I'm given."

It was so easy for her mind to be taken off of her current stress when she was with him. He distracted her. When they worked together, it seemed to be going by a lot quicker. Almost absent-mindedly, Hermione began tracing patterns into his hand with her fingertips. He closed his eyes at her touch. She smiled to herself, amused at how much he was letting his guard down more.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, grateful for the company and rest. Hermione sighed, content for once. Draco sat up straight, causing Hermione's hand to fall from his.

"What is it?"

"Isn't there something you wanted to tell me? I forgot, what with working up the courage to tell you I love you."

She blushed. She'd never get used to it.

"It's nothing… silly." She said lamely.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You know, for such a smart girl, Granger, you're not a very good liar."

She sighed.

"It's a mixture of things, I suppose. Just stress, the job, and - "

"Let me guess, Weasley?" He cut in, sneering.

She laughed weakly.

"Well, that's not the main part of it, but I suppose it is a slight contributing factor."

"What's he done this time?"

"Well, like I said earlier, I think he suspects something about us. I don't know if he knows we're… dating… but, I think he's smart enough to know that SOMETHING is going on." She said, stumbling with her words.

Draco scoffed.

"I suppose even Weasley's not completely brain dead. I mean, honestly, how he survived without any - " He stopped immediately at the look on her face.

"He may be an arse, but he's still my friend."

"Against all odds." Draco muttered.

"What was that?" She demanded, her eyes narrowing.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Continue please." He said, flashing her a grin that was far too innocent to ever appear on a Malfoy's face.

She frowned, troubled.

"Have you heard anything about … a case with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

He chuckled.

"If you're referring to the case we're working on, then yes Granger, I am well aware."

She narrowed her eyes, effectively silencing him.

"No – that's not what I'm talking about. I kind of... ran away after my little altercation with Ron, and I ended up in this strange place – loads of bright lights and really cold floors. It had three doors - "

She checked for any sign of recognition on his face, but found none, so she plowed on.

"Anyways, there was this woman there… Vivian LaReux." Again, she looked for a trace of knowledge on his face, but was disappointed once more.

"Her fiancée… well, he went missing. There's a big case about it, and she's completely stirred up. What if this is… bigger than just a matter of a missing person?"

He frowned, the slightly humored look leaving his face.

"What do you mean?"

She hesitated, not wanting to sound irrational or stupid.

"What if it ties into all of the problems we've had recently? What if … what if it's a part of it?"

Something registered on Draco's face. Whether it was fright, indifference, or amusement, Hermione couldn't tell. She waited for a moment to see if he'd say anything, and when he didn't she extrapolated.

"I just think that this isn't a coincidence. People go missing all the time, but there have been a lot more as of lately. Trust me Draco, I go through hundreds of sheets of paperwork on this kind of stuff daily. I know." She finished, defiance in her voice.

He pondered this.

"Maybe we should give it a few weeks before you stress out over it." He said, trying to put her at ease.

"We don't have a few weeks. Even if we wait, there could be more disappearances – this has to be stopped."

"You don't know what it is. This is the first time. Just wait a while before you start getting worried about it." He said gently.

"I'll give it two days before I go to the head of the department." She stated, final in her choice.

Draco knew it'd be useless to argue. And he hated seeing her like she was.

"Granger, you're too kind for your own good, you know that?" He said, a smirk playing at his lips.

She smiled. He was only trying to save her some grief.

"Let's not talk about it anymore." She offered, hoping that Draco would be able to take her mind off of her stress again.

He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing really, I suppose. I just want to relax." She said truthfully.

"I could think of a few things…" He trailed off, winking at her.

She laughed and pushed him lightly. "You're terrible. Listen, how about we watch a movie?"

"Like… on the fellytision?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

She giggled, realizing she'd done so quite a bit around him. It was so unlike her.

"Something like that."

And once more, her mind was off of the depressing situations. It was off of Ron, off of Harry, and off of Ginny. The only important thing was forgetting all of it and being with Draco.


	53. Chapter 53

_Hello, lovelies. Shorter chapter, but I'll update again tomorrow. I'm glad you're all still sticking with the story. It makes me happy. I know it's not fantastic, but I'm trying to do the best I can with what I started. I hope it's not too sappy or anything. To be honest, I've never been very good at writing romance. I get uncomfortable even writing kissing scenes. xD So, I must apologize if it's not believable or awkwardly written. If I'm doing something wrong, please tell me. I'll take all the criticism and help I can get. Also – some of you may be wondering about the way I'm writing Ron. I'm not trying to bash him by any means. I'm not trying to paint him to be a hero or anything, either. I just need you guys to understand that the reason I'm writing him this way is because he obviously cares for Hermione (if you hadn't been able to tell) and he's upset at how she's treating Draco so civilly. I'm not at all trying to make him the bad guy. I'm doing the same with Harry in a way, so don't take it the wrong way. _

_**WARNING – There is a bit of bad language in this chapter.**_

Hermione's eyelids fluttered, awakening from a rather deep, peaceful sleep. She squinted at the bright sunlight flooding in through her window. Immediately aware of her surroundings, she sat bolt upright, quickly glancing from side to side. Her feet were encased in a heavy blanket, and a pillow lay carelessly about on the floor. Strange – she hadn't remembered retrieving either of those things. She smiled goofily to herself, thinking about how sweet it was of Draco to do it His name was a trigger word for a completely new stream of sudden thoughts to burst into Hermione's mind. What if he was still there? He would see her before her generous application of hair potion, smell her morning breath and the rheum in the ducts of her eyes.

She took a surveying, cautious look around the room and felt a mixture of relief and sadness that Draco wasn't there. She waited a moment longer before standing up, just to make sure. When she heard no sign of human life around, she stood up, stretching her somewhat sore limbs as a result of sleeping on her lumpy couch. The television hummed a few feet away from her, frozen on the home screen of the movie Hermione and Draco had watched. She snickered, realizing that he probably didn't know how to turn it off. Remembering his pronunciation of the word 'television' made her smile even wider.

She lumbered sleepily to the kitchen, the thought of a nice cup of tea on her mind. Just as she reached to the cupboard, she noticed a bit of white paper clumsily taped to it. She frowned, not recalling if she'd written something to herself. She hardly ever wrote reminders, so it looked out of place. A slight tear formed when she attempted to separate the note from the cupboard, but it the words were still clearly legible when she opened it up.

_Granger, _

_You fell asleep while we were watching that rubbish Muggle invention. I took the liberty of making you more comfortable. Don't worry, I didn't touch you. I couldn't work out how to turn off that blasted device – all the knobs confused me. I was going to stay over to make sure you were okay, but I didn't deem it prudent concerning my safety for you to find me sleeping a mere few feet away.(Like I've said – you throw a hell of a punch) I'll be waiting outside the Ministry at nine o' clock. I'd forgotten we didn't have to get to work until later. I'd like it if you could meet me._

_I love you,_

_Draco._

She smiled down at the letter, aware that she probably looked pretty stupid while doing so. Even the little things made her feel special. She was brought back from her brief moment of bliss when she glanced at the clock and read that it was 8:37. She yelped, dropped the letter, and raced to her bathroom to ready herself.

Fifteen minutes later, she was completely dressed with her hair in a messy, albeit comfortable ponytail. She had to commend herself on the ability to beat time. It was becoming easier as she frequently woke up at an undesirable time. With all thoughts but Draco pushed completely from her mind, she disapparated to the Ministry without any bad feelings. Like always, she felt the familiar sickening stomach pain and the darkness enveloped her. Much to her surprise, she stuck the landing. She grinned and without thinking, punched her fist into the air, relishing this tiny successful moment.

The sound of clapping came from behind her, slow and loud. She turned her head to see Malfoy standing there, smirking as he brought the palms of his hands together.

She shot him a dirty look, which didn't have the effect she wanted, as she began to blush.

"Bravo, Granger. I must say I'd give that a ten out of ten. Merlin himself would be jealous of your abilities."

This made her flush even more, only causing Draco's smirk to grow. He closed the small distance between them and pressed his lips to her forehead. She jumped away as if being signed by a white hot wire

He was taken aback. He realized where they were and what he was doing, but he couldn't quite mask the slight hurt of her pulling away quickly enough. She grimaced, ashamed of herself for treating him like that.

"I'm sor -"

"I understand." He said simply, holding up a hand to silence her.

She didn't press it, but swayed awkwardly on the spot, waiting for him to say or do something.

"Let's go inside. We probably have work to do."

Just as they were about to walk inside, Draco caught her arm. He turned her around to face him again, and he sighed.

"You know, I love you."

"I believe I remember you saying something like that." She teased lightly.

He ignored that. She couldn't blame him.

"I just don't want to have to pretend I loathe you every time someone we know is around. Can we at least be friendly?"

She bit her lip, pondering it. They'd had to act like the latter was the very bane of their existence in many situations. It would strike someone as suspicious if they were suddenly cordial to one another. Even with all that in mind, she couldn't deny that it would be nice to not have to pretend. He looked at her hopefully, thinking it was foolish to even ask.

She sighed, then gazed at him thoughtfully.

"Deal."

He grinned.

"But –"

There was a 'but'…

"No kissing. No caressing. No romantic touching of any kind unless we are away from the Ministry."

He almost looked as if he would object, but resigned and nodded his head.

"Great. Now, let's get in there before we're both fired. I daresay Kendrina would overlook a tardy merely because I'm her favorite employee." She joked.

Just as they were about to walk in, an angry voice called from a few feet away.

"Well, don't you two look cozy?" It was jeering and cold, like shards of ice.

"Problem, Weasley?" Draco sneered, challenging him to say anything else.

Ron wasn't looking at Draco. His eyes were fixed in a stare at Hermione, who avoided looking at him as much as she could.

"My problem is you." He said, his voice unfaltering, his face staying its normal color instead of the deep red it usually became.

Draco laughed and took a few steps closer to him.

"And what, pray tell, did I do for you to have a problem with me?" He challenged, unfazed by the angry red head.

Ron kept his eyes locked on Hermione, never once glancing elsewhere.

"Perhaps you're worried that your girlfriend fancies me?" Draco said, not bothering to keep any contempt from his voice. "I can't help it that Granger's my partner. Nor can she. Your jealousy is misguided."

This seemed to trigger something in Ron.

"I would never be jealous of YOU." Ron said, matching his tone with Draco's. "Who'd be jealous of a filthy ferret who didn't have friends unless his daddy bought them?" He smirked. "How is daddy, by thee way? Still locked up nice and tight?"

Draco's hand twitched to his pocket where his wand rested. Hermione sensed it quickly and threw herself between the two.

"Stop it – both of you. Do you want us to get fired?"

Passerby sensed what was about to happen and had stopped to look, and a buzz of excitement grew amongst them. It took so little to get them all stirred up. Ron raised his wand sharply, almost escaping Hermione's sight. She reacted quickly, knocking it from his hand, where it rolled out of his reach.

"I don't even need a wand!" He snarled, a menacing look on his face.

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione yelled, throwing her weight at him in an effort to hinder him from getting to Draco.

He pulled back quickly, nearly sending her to the ground.

"Oh, defend HIM! You're on HIS side now?" He demanded, practically spitting with rage.

"This isn't about sides – this about being CIVIL!" Hermione yelled back.

Ron threw her a cruel smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"You keep telling me that over and over, but every time you're with him, it goes WAY past just 'civil'. He disgusts me – and I don't know why you're like this around him!"

Draco scoffed.

"Just because she doesn't spend half her time trailing after you like you do her doesn't mean she's acting any differently than normal."

Hermione felt this was a low blow, but couldn't deny the truth behind it.

Ron 's face finally began to flood with a bright red color, and he didn't even bother hiding it.

"Fuck you." Was all that they heard before he'd disappeared, leaving the two in the middle of a small crowd of people.


	54. Chapter 54

Quick Update – I haven't quite gone anywhere, guys. I have a LOT of final revision to do. I don't have much time to write at THIS moment, but I AM still going to write. We get out of school next week, and my last final is on Thursday, so I think I'll be able to have some up before then. It's just kind of crazy right now!


	55. Chapter 55

_**Hey, guys! I'm finally out of school and done with all of my pesky exams. Sorry it took so long, but I should be writing pretty regularly now! I won't bore you anymore with this, so without further rambling, I give you the next chapter. (It won't be very long, but I'm just posting right now to show I'm not dead. There will be more up tomorrow.)**_

Hermione didn't know what to say. She stared at the spot where Ron was just moments ago and felt her throat constrict. She felt the warmth and pressure of Draco's hand in hers, returning a reassuring squeeze.

"Sorry," Draco said, not looking very sorry at all. "I just get sick of seeing him tailing after you all the time – he acts like you're his property."

She turned to face him, a hint of anger in her eyes.

"What are you trying to say – that I'm _your _property?"

He pulled his hand away, his face flooding with a mixture of hurt and confusion. She instantly felt horrible. She sighed, slipping her hand back into his.

"I'm just a little -"

"Upset. I get it." He finished, walking ahead of her.

She had to assume a light jog in order to keep up with his stride.

"Draco – I'm sorry." She said, panting as they rounded a corner into an empty corridor.

She almost ran into him when he stopped in the middle of it. He turned to face her, stress registering on his face.

"You shouldn't be the one apologizing. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let that Weasel – Weasley get the best of me." He corrected himself with one look at the expression on her face.

"It just… It just bothers me, alright?"

She raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"So, let me get this straight – THE Draco Malfoy is jealous of Ronald Weasley?" She kept her tone light, but was genuinely curious.

"Yes." He said solemnly, no hint of a smile playing at his lips.

"W-what?"

"Yes, I'm jealous."

"Y-you're actually s-serious?"

"Yes."

"But… why?" She asked, quite at a loss for words.

"Because." He stated simply. "You're with him a lot of the time, he obviously has a large crush on you, and has the subtlety of a giant."

"Draco," she stated slowly, wondering if there was anything affecting his mind. "we've been over this…"

"I know you like me more than him – at least in the romantic sense. I just don't know when he's going to reach his breaking point and finally kiss you."

"B-" she began, only to be cut off by him holding up a pale, long hand.

"I know you don't like him. I'm very aware that you don't like him. I'm just telling you what I see happening within the next few weeks, if not days. A man can only take a certain amount of this before he finally snaps, and as much as I hate to say it, Weasley's just like the rest of us." He finished, shrugging. 

"Draco, you have nothing to worry about – "

"Oh, I know. It's him that should be worried, actually…"

"Draco." She said warningly.

"Hermione." He shot back, mocking her tone.

It took all of her willpower to keep herself from stamping her foot, but she resisted, opting for a glare instead. He quickly changed the subject.

"You know, if you're still feeling upset, I think I saw an empty office a few doors back." He drawled, leaning closer to her.

She blushed, very aware that their noses were almost touching. He pressed each hand against the wall on either side of her, trapping her. She weakly shoved at his arms, a futile attempt to stop him before someone saw. It was when she felt his soft, warm lips on hers that she realized she didn't care. She felt every bit of her resolve crumbling before her eyes.

It was only a few moments later that she heard the light tread of footsteps growing louder and louder with each passing second. Just as she slid from underneath Draco's arms and smoothed her hair, Harry appeared a few feet away, his bespectacled eyes trained on a piece of paper he was carrying. He briefly looked up.

"Hermione – you're just the person I wanted to see. Kendrina wants to talk to you." He said, seeming a bit distracted.

She nodded, still flustered. Draco, however, was looking calm and collected. Just like always.

Harry only just seemed to recognize Draco's presence. His eyes narrowed, darting from Hermione's red face to Draco's serene one.

"Am I … interrupting something?" He asked suspiciously.

Hermione reached into her mind for an excuse, but it was Draco who answered him.

"No, Potter. Actually – the only thing you were interrupting was Granger's incessant fussing over paperwork we have to do."

This seemed to placate Harry, and he nodded.

"I suppose you're right – I think I have some on my desk, as well."

He frowned, running his hand through his jet black hair nervously.

"In fact, I'd better get started on that. Would you care to join me? Misery loves company, after all."

Hermione bit her lip, unsure if she wanted Draco and Harry in the same room.

"We'll catch up with you later – I'm not sure how long Kendrina will be. And let's face it – the idea of you and Draco in the same room doesn't seem all that appealing."

At the mention of Malfoy's first name, Harry's eyes narrowed again. He recovered quickly, replacing the suspicion on his face with a cold smile.

"You're right – probably not the best idea. Well, I'd better get going. My hand isn't going to cramp itself."

Harry pulled Hermione into his arms for a tight hug, his eyes never breaking Draco's gaze. Hermione awkwardly patted Harry's back, desperately wishing he'd let her go. She had to maintain her composure, especially in front of Harry. But, as Draco said - A person could only take so much before they snapped.

He finally relinquished his hold on her and walked away, not once looking back. When he disappeared around the corner, Draco grabbed her shoulders and spun her around.

"Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" He asked, smirking.

She laughed in spite of herself, glad that he wasn't making a big deal of Harry's little stunt.

"We were about at that place where we went to Kendrina."

He groaned in frustration. She smiled at his childish disappointment.

"Let's make it quick."

He leaned in once more, and kissed her. It was different – unlike a lot of the kisses they shared. It was sweet – a side of Draco that never made an appearance. He pulled away finally, his expression unreadable.

"No more than ten minutes." She agreed, much to Draco's pleasure.

"You wanted to see me?" Hermione asked, closing the door behind her as she entered Kendrina's office.

"Ah, yes, Granger." She said without looking up from the particularly lengthy memo she was reading. "Sit."

Doing as she was told, she plopped down in the nearest chair and waited patiently. Kendrina scanned the paper on her desk for a few moments, readjusted her glasses, and looked at Hermione.

"I take it you are aware of the LaReux case, am I correct?"

Hermione nodded.

"And I take it you spoke with this woman?"

She nodded once again, a feeling of dread and anxiety knotting in the pit of her stomach. Kendrina merely sighed, straightening the already straight quills on her desk.

"I thought as much. The woman practically begged me to turn the case over to you, yesterday." She allowed herself an exhausted smile. "Or course, she was a bit put out with me when I explained that it wasn't your department handling all of this. Even so, you have a way with people, Granger."

"I don't understand – am I… in trouble for speaking to this woman?"

Kendrina actually smiled.

"Quite the contrary, as it is." She said, not elaborating on the subject.

Hermione waited, her hands wringing tightly together in her lap.

"Granger, when I told this woman that your department wasn't handling this case, I was quite mistaken. As you are fully aware of what's been going on, I think it's safe to venture a guess that it isn't just a coincidence."

Despite the fact that the question of her being in trouble had been erased, she still couldn't help but feel her heart sink. It wasn't for her well-being that she was scared. It was for the woman's. The woman that would lose her fiancée. The woman who would answer her door or a floo call in the middle of the night only to hear that the person she wanted to spend her life with was dead. It was terrible to think that way, but it was realistic.

When Hermione didn't reply, Kendrina continued.

"What with all of this recent activity, we aren't in a position to rule anything out. This woman's fiancée may very well be dead, for all we know."

Hermione flinched. It was not only what Kendrina was saying, but how she was saying it so calmly that bothered her.

"As it is, we believe the house you recently investigated was the place in which this woman's fiancée was being held. This just became a job for your department. The only problem is, Miss Granger, is that we can't be positive that this man isn't involved in the illicit activities."

"So you're saying… he's a suspect?"

"I'm saying that we have no record of any wrongdoing on this man's part, but at this point we aren't in a position to be lenient with our trust. The reason I called you in here today is to give you some advice, Miss Granger."

"What advice?"

"Trust no one. One minute, a person may be perfectly friendly. The next you're found somewhere by our aurors, not a distinguishable piece left of you to bury. That is all." She said, clearly a dismissal.

"I'll take that into consideration." Hermione said numbly, her hand feeling like lead as she attempted to turn the doorknob.

It was as she'd feared.


End file.
